Father Christmas
by ZaKai
Summary: COMPLETE. Through the reluctant efforts of one man and his eager ‘elves’, Christmas is brought to Central City and most especially to two young alchemists. :no pairings, Christmas story:
1. Unknown Holiday

**A/N:** This story will have 24 chapters. I will post every day from now until Christmas. The chapters will be short, some even drabble size. I wrote most of this during November, and I still have 4 more chapters to write.

This is unbetaed, so I can almost guarantee there will be some mistakes, but I hope you'll be kind enough to over look them and enjoy the story anyway.

**A/N 2: **Please note that this story does not follow the cannon anime in some things. Also, Ed is 13 and Al is 12.

-

**Father Christmas**

**1**

**Unknown Holiday**

**-**

Roy yawned and stretched tiredly. It was almost quitting time, and all he wanted to do was go home, sit by the heater, and read. Maybe even drink some coffee or hot tea... He turned in his chair and glanced out of his office window.

The sky was covered in heavy gray clouds, and fat snowflakes were floating silently to the ground in the millions. Central City had already had plenty of snow this year, but in his opinion a fresh layer of snow never did too much harm, and always ended up looking very nice in the morning.

Oh yes, this was the time of year for blankets, fireplaces—if you had one, heaters if you didn't—warm drinks, and good books. Of course, if you could find someone to share such things with, it made it even better.

"Sir?"

Roy turned and looked to where Lieutenant Hawkeye was sitting at a small table. She was looking over a few folders. She opened her mouth to say something—mostly likely to ask a question—when there was a knock on the door. The knock had the hollow sound that he'd grown used to hearing whenever Alphonse Elric came to see him.

"Come in," he said, wondering why he'd be getting a visit from the Elric kid. The door opened and he frowned a little. Correction. A visit from the Elric _kids_...

Alphonse Elric, soul bound to a large suit of armor, was pushing his older—but much smaller—brother into the office.

Roy couldn't help smiling and saying, "Well, to what do I owe the honor of your presence on such _short_ notice?"

Edward Elric—the military's youngest ever State Alchemist—froze at the mention of the word 'short' and gave him a dark glare before pushing away from Alphonse and muttering something under his breath to Al who simply shook his head.

At thirteen, Ed should have been much taller than he was, but he simply hadn't hit that much coveted growth spurt yet. Roy was sure he would eventually, but for now it was amusing to watch the kid spazz whenever someone mentioned his height. Roy never said it outright, he had to maintain a bit of professionalism since he was older and the kid's superior officer, but he did like to sneak in little things that technically had nothing to do with Ed at all though usually the boy got disgruntled at any words that implied small size.

When whatever silent argument the two brothers were having was over, Ed grabbed a small, brightly wrapped package from his brother and marched to Roy's desk, and without a word he tossed it at Roy, who caught it deftly.

Without a word, he began to turn away, when Alphonse said, "Brother..."

Making a sound of irritation, Ed turned back and muttered, "Merry Christmas."

Roy blinked at the package, then looked at both Ed and Al. "Merry Christmas, Lieutenant Hawkeye and Colonel Mustang," Alphonse said cheerfully, and he was sure that if Al could, he'd be smiling.

Roy looked at Hawkeye who shrugged, then back at the boys. "Merry what?" he asked, not exactly sure what to say to this.

"See, I told you this was a dumb idea," Ed said petulantly to his brother, then to Roy, "Christmas. It's some old religious holiday that—"

"I thought you weren't religious," Roy cut in.

"I'm not," Ed said. "That's not the point. It's some holiday that our father insisted on celebrating, and—"

"I thought you hated your father," Roy pointed out with a small smile, knowing that he was simply going to irritate the boy further by cutting in again.

"I _do_. Will you shut up and listen?" Ed snapped, then continued in a lecturing tone, "So when our father moved to Rizembool way back before me and Al were born, he slowly ended up getting the whole town to celebrate it, and now it's sort of a tradition. Our mother always had us celebrate it."

"Ah, I see," Roy murmured, glancing quickly at Hawkeye who seemed interested in what Ed was saying. He looked down at the brightly wrapped package, then back to Ed. "And, what's with this?"

The boy rolled his eyes impatiently. "You're supposed to give people gifts for Christmas."

"And," Alphonse broke in, "you get a pine tree and decorate it with stuff like candles and ornaments and you hang up your socks by the fireplace and then in the morning there are gifts from Father Christmas!!"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Presents in your socks? I hope they were clean."

"Duh..." Ed said, but Al was already going on.

"We'd get some treats in our socks and there would be a couple of presents under the tree! Mother said that Father Christmas is mag—"

"You're a little old to believe in that crap, aren't you?" Ed said harshly, and Roy could visibly see Alphonse sag a little. "There's no such thing as magic. It's just a stupid fairytale that that bastard made up. No one brought us gifts last year after mom died, Al. You're just being stupid. There is no magic man out there who cares enough to give us anything!"

"Maybe he just couldn't find us..." Al said quietly.

"Whatever," Ed grunted and stalked out of the office.

There was silence in the office for a while, and again Roy glanced at Hawkeye who had a sympathetic look on her face. The brothers usually got along well, though they were known to argue over little things. Roy had a feeling that this went a little bit deeper than some petty argument.

"I know that he's not real... I know that the thing closest in this world to magic is alchemy, but..." Roy turned his attention back to Alphonse to see him with metal head bowed and hands clasped in front of him. "I want to believe... I want it to be like when we were little. Christmas was always a good time for family and friends. It was like everyone loved each other and we were all one big family... I just..."

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor met Roy's ears and Hawkeye stood and walked over to where Al was standing and put her hand on his arm. It was the gesture that mattered since the boy had no way of feeling the touch.

"The two of you still have each other. Your family isn't gone," she said softly and Roy nodded. Of course... _he_ would never have come up with such a sensitive thing to say, but he did agree with her.

"I know..." Al murmured in that small hollow voice of his.

"So... Today is this Christmas thing?" Roy asked, not exactly comfortable with the mood in the air.

"Ah, no... it's on the twenty-fifth... You're not supposed to open your gifts until then either... The night before Christmas is when you're supposed to put up stockings and stuff for Father Christmas..."

"And will you?" Roy asked curiously.

There was silence in the room for a moment before Alphonse said, "I will. Brother will get mad, but I want to. Even though I know nothing will be in the morning... We don't have a fire place in the dorms, so I'll probably just... I don't know... stick them by the heater..."

To this, Roy had no response, and when he said nothing, Al turned and said, "Well, I'm going to go find brother. Merry Christmas..."

As soon as Alphonse left the office, Riza said, "That's just... it's just sad..."

"Uh huh," Roy murmured, now looking at the package. He hadn't had a chance to inspect it before, and now found that the wrapping was a little loose in some parts and there was excessive paper covering the package making it bulky in some places. Shrugging he moved to open it, when the sound of Hawkeye clearing her throat made him stop and look up.

She was glowering at him. "You have to wait until the twenty-fifth."

"They'll never know," Roy pointed out.

Putting her hands on her hips, Hawkeye said sternly, "It was nice of those boys to give you something; you could at least wait."

"I don't want to take it home without knowing what's inside. For all I know, Ed put a stink bomb in there that will go off when I open it."

"I don't think Alphonse would let him get away with that," Hawkeye said.

She was right, but Roy was extremely curious as to what could be inside the box. What did people give for this kind of holiday? With a shrug, Roy moved the package beside his phone.

"You know what would be really nice?" Hawkeye said, and Roy looked up at her curiously. When she raised an eyebrow, he frowned, suddenly realizing where her mind was going.

"No," he said flatly.

"It would be fun," she said, a smile creeping on her face.

"I don't know anything about this holiday or this Father Christmas character. I don't even know if there are specific things people give for this holiday. No."

"Sir," she said in that tone that women got when they wanted men to do something.

"No."

"Colonel."

He grabbed a pen and furiously began scribbling his signature on something he hadn't read yet. "No."

A moment of silence, then a soft, "Roy..."

He gripped his pen tightly and worked hard not to look up at her. He was _not_ going to play Father Christmas for the Elric brothers. Absolutely not, and he was _not_ going to let some woman push him into doing what he didn't want to do.

* * *

**Note:** As noted previously, this story doesn't follow cannon. I'm also going to be taking some liberties when it comes to iconic figures and traditions as well as timeline. There are many legends and different traditions varying from country to country, so I'm more or less, picking and choosing.

Mostly, I just advise you to enjoy the story and not worry about the little details. This fic was written for fun and I hope that you'll be able to sit back and enjoy it without worrying about what's cannon or historically correct.

—

**If you're feeling generous, I'd love to know what you think so far :)**


	2. History of Christmas

-

**Father Christmas**

**2**

**History of Christmas**

-  
Grumbling under his breath, Roy stepped up to the library counter and tapped his fingers impatiently. If Riza Hawkeye thought it was such a great idea to help those kids celebrate their holiday, why wasn't _she_ in trying to research it?

"Can I help you?" a young woman with brown hair and glasses said.

"I'm doing some research on an ancient holiday called 'Christmas', are there any texts here that I can take a look at on that subject?" Roy asked in almost a disinterested voice.

"OH! Of course!" the girl said with a large smile on her face. "I know exactly where to find books on that!" And with that, she rushed off. That had been easier than he'd expected... It didn't take the girl long to come back with several large books that emitted a little puff of dust when she plopped them on the counter.

"These are really great books!" the girl said in excitement. "It's a shame we don't celebrate this holiday anymore, though I've heard that up north in Rizembool they've started to in the last twenty years or so. It's really neat if you think about it. Carols, special holiday foods, gifts, family together time..." He nodded as he gathered up the books. The girl—her name tag said Sheska—was still babbling with a dazed look in her eye about how she's just love to try this holiday someday as he left the library.

0-0-0-0

"Good morning, sir," Lieutenant Hawkeye said as she let herself into this office. He yawned widely and gave her a little wave as he plopped down into his chair. "Did you find any books on the subject?" she asked a little cryptically.

He grunted. She wasn't one to waste time on small talk... "Yes, actually," he said, then yawned again. "Stayed up most of the night reading too. Apparently the holiday has Christian roots." He stopped when he heard the voices of his subordinates in the hall, then a moment later they entered his office.

"Is this meeting going to take long?" Havoc asked, flopping down on one of the couches. "There's a new secretary down in the south wing and I told her I'd buy her breakfast in the cafeteria today."

"We have these meetings once a week, Lieutenant," Roy said irritably. "I'd think you'd be used to working them into your schedule by now."

The man shrugged, then after a moment said, "We weren't disturbing anything were we?" Roy frowned, wondering if it had shown on his face, but said nothing.

"Actually, we were discussing an ancient holiday called 'Christmas," Hawkeye said easily as she took a seat of her own.

"Oh, I've heard about that," Fuery said, then he grinned a little. "Actually, I just learned about it. I met this cute girl yesterday at the coffee shop, guess she works at the library or something. Anyway, we got to talking and we ended up on that subject. Very interesting."

"The girl?" Breda asked easily.

"I believe he was meaning the subject was interesting," Falman put in.

"Was she hot?" Havoc asked, more interested now.

Fuery laughed and waved his hands. "The girl _and_ the subject were interesting, and eh..." He blushed. "I don't know if you'd think she was _hot_, but I thought she was good looking..."

"Just tell us what she told you," Roy put in. He hadn't been able to read everything last night and he was interested to see what the librarian had said.

"Right, well..." Fuery scratched at his head, then said, "Christmas is a holiday that was celebrated by Christians hundreds of years ago. Christianity is a religious sect," he added when Havoc, Breda, and Falman gave him confused looks. "Apparently, there was this girl named Mary and an angel visited her saying she'd have a kid and it would be the son of God."

"That's how you know it's not true right there," Roy said lightly. "I don't have any kids."

Fuery ignored him. "So, she gets engaged to this guy, um... starts with a 'J' can't remember the name, anyway and when she's almost ready to give birth the king of the land calls everyone to the main city to be numbered. You know, a population count."

"Why not just have them all call in?" Breda said smartly.

"I don't believe they had phones back then," Falman said, which earned him a 'no duh' look from Breda.

Fuery frowned at the interruption and began to talk more loudly. "Sooo, they go to the city but all the motels are full so they have to go sleep in a barn and that's where the kid was born."

"No wonder Fullmetal celebrates this holiday. This ancient kid was born in a barn, Fullmetal acts like he was born in a barn, it all makes sense now," Roy said with a smirk.

"And _then_," Fuery said, obviously irritated that he wasn't being allowed to finish with so many interruptions. "Angels went to shepherds and told them to go visit the kid. About two years later three men showed up and gave some gifts, though I guess they kind of got squished into the night the kid was born, as far as the stories go." Fuery shrugged. "Probably because they started their journey to go there on the night of the birth."

"Sounds like they lived pretty far. How'd they know about the kid being born?" Breda asked.

"They were really smart guys and they saw that there was a new star in the sky and according to their legend or something they knew that the son of God was born and wanted to pay their respects," Fuery said.

There was silence in the room for a minute then Havoc said, "How did we get on this subject anyway?"

"The colonel has been researching it," Hawkeye said.

All eyes turned to Roy. "I thought you weren't religious," Falman said.

Roy grunted. "I'm not. It seems Ed and his brother celebrates the holiday and the lieutenant here..." He indicated Hawkeye. "...thinks we should do something nice for them." He shifted in his chair. "Years and years after the barn birth, people started celebrating it as a holiday. It sort of got lumped in with other holidays that were celebrated at that time so according to what I've read there are a lot of things that have nothing to do with the original event in the holiday."

"Like?" Breda asked.

"Decorated trees, gift giving, treats, feasts, some guy named Father Christmas who comes around one night a year and puts gifts under said decorated tree and some treats in sock that the kids have hung up," Roy explained. "He comes while the kids are sleeping, so it's sort of a based on faith type of deal."

"Eh... food in socks?" Falman muttered, not looking impressed.

"Why would this Father Christmas do that in the first place?" Breda asked.

"Some sort of reward for good behavior," Fuery put in.

Havoc started laughing. "Then why would the chief get anything?" All of them but Hawkeye laughed at that.

"Well, we could still do something for Alphonse. He's always good," Fuery said with a grin.

There were noises of approval at that, but they stopped when Roy put up his hands and said, "Wait! Wait... When did this become a group project?"

"It will be fun, boss," Havoc said. "I haven't heard all the rest about what this entails, but it seems like it would be fun."

"There's no way you're going to do something for Alphonse and not for Edward," Hawkeye broke in seriously.

"Of course, of course," Havoc said, waving her concern off.

"There are a lot of myths about this Father Christmas guy," Fuery said. "He has a lot of names and there are a lot of customs depending on where you lived, but one group believed that he had elves that helped him in the preparations..." Fuery thought for a moment. "I can't remember what they called Father Christmas there... Started with an 'S'... 'Sandy...' uh, something..."

"Whatever," Breda said, then looked at Roy. "So you be this Father Christmas guy and we'll be your helpers."

Roy scowled. "No."

"You know you want to, boss. We all know you're kind of an ass sometimes, but we also know you have a soft spot for those kids," Havoc said.

Roy opened his mouth, closed it, then looked to Hawkeye for help. Unfortunately, she seemed to agree with the rest of them. He shook his head. Of _course_ she agreed with them! This was all her fault in the first place!

Well, it wasn't as if he was completely opposed to the idea, and as much as he hated to admit it, Havoc was right, he did have a soft spot for the Elric brothers and it would be a nice change of pace to see them do something semi-normal for once.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you everyone who have left me comments. I'll be back tomorrow with the next chapter. :)


	3. Implementing the Plan

**A/N:** Welcome to chapter three! This chapter is the first of the chapters that I'll post a **music file** with. Not all of them will have one, but a few of them will. Most of the song files are instrumental pieces that I thought added to the 'mood' of the chapter.

You can find the link for the folder **in my profile** (I'm in the middle of recoding my profile so please ignore the mess…). The chapter it belongs to will have the number of the chapter in the file name. Thus this one will have '03' in front of the artist and music title.

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**3**

**Implementing the Plan**

**-**

The secretary looked at him blankly for a moment, the said hesitantly, "Sir... would you repeat that again?"

Roy folded his arms, nodded toward the box on the floor, and said, "I would like you to decorate this section with holly and ivy. You know..." He waved an arm. "...along the walls or around doors or whatever you think would look nice."

"But... _why_?" the young woman asked, completely bewildered.

"Because, I've decided that everyone will be celebrating Christmas," Roy explained, feeling a little irritable. He had a feeling he'd be explaining this a lot in the coming month.

"Christmas?" she asked with the same blank look.

He opened his mouth to explain when he saw that further down the hall the doors to the elevator had opened and the girl from the library was stepping out. Perfect timing. He waved to her and she cheerfully hurried down the hall toward them.

"This is Sheska," Roy said to the secretary. "She'll explain it all to you; she'll even help you decorate."

"Thank you so much for doing this!" the librarian exclaimed happily. "I've always wanted to celebrate this holiday, but it's hard to get the full effect when you're the only one."

Roy nodded politely. It seemed only fitting to ask her to help. Besides Ed and Al, she probably knew more about this Christmas holiday than anyone else in Central. Sheska bombard the poor secretary with information about a holiday she'd never heard of before in her life, and Roy quietly excused himself from the conversation. Walking down the hall, Roy let himself into his office and closed the door before flopping down on one of the couches.

Lieutenants Breda and Havoc had gone out of the city to find a few evergreen trees and they were due back today. He'd put Hawkeye in charge of things to decorate the trees with. That basically left him to direct the work, which he was glad to do. It was better than actually doing something...

It was then that he remembered something he'd meant to do. He quickly got off the couch and moved to his desk. After a quick phone call, Roy hurried out of his office, passed the two women, and walked to the elevator. He was just leaving headquarters when he heard his name being shouted. Turning, Roy saw Lieutenant Hawkeye hurrying toward him.

"Yes?" Roy said as he continued walking down the sidewalk.

Walking beside him now, Hawkeye said, "I was thinking that maybe it would be better to let the boys make the ornaments and decorate the tree. That book you gave me said that usually the children did that or the whole family."

Roy nodded. "Sure, whatever you want. I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that he waved her off and turned the corner. It didn't take him long to get to the shop and buy what he'd come for. The shopkeeper had asked after his purchase, and Roy had given a quick explanation about Christmas. Much to his surprise, the shopkeeper expressed interest in celebrating the holiday with her own family.

He politely told her that to get the full effect, she'd really need to get her neighbors involved. He'd thought it would detour her, but she only seemed the more excited. With a shake of his head, Roy had left the shop and twenty minutes after having left headquarters, he was back, box under one arm—though he wasn't the only one who'd made it there in that time.

Five pine trees of varying sizes were lying in the hallway while Breda argued heatedly with the secretary who was none too pleased with what were now three boxes of holly and ivy, a box of pinecones, five pine trees, and a box of random metal parts.

"What's going on here?" Roy asked, walking up to the group which consisted of the secretary—one day Roy would actually bother to learn her name—Sheska, Breda, Havoc, and Falman—who had brought the extra boxes of holly and ivy, and the box of pine cones.

They all began talking at once, but Roy was able to pick out that the secretary did not want to feel like she was working in a forest, Breda being upset that the secretary was chewing them out, Sheska saying that this was all very normal, Havoc saying something to the secretary about how it would look better when they were done, and Falman trying to explain what had been happening.

Roy put the box on the secretary's desk, then lifted his hands and called for quiet. "Look, this is what's going to happen; you two girls are going to decorate this place with the holly, ivy, and pine cones." He turned to his subordinates. "The three of you will put the trees up." Falman opened his mouth to speak, but Roy cut him off. "I will make the tree holders."

He dug out a piece of chalk, quickly drew an array on the floor, and directed Havoc to dump the metal onto the circle. He'd had to study some of the drawings of the tree holders in a couple of the books to be sure he knew what he wanted, and when the transmutations were complete, he had five very nice looking tree stands just waiting to be used.

"What? You can do something _other_ than make fire?" came an obnoxious voice behind him. Roy sat back on his knees and turned to see Hawkeye followed by the two Elric brothers. Ed was smirking at him as if what he'd said was the funniest thing in the world.

Roy moved so that even though he was still kneeling, his body was erect, and he looked at Ed before saying. "Is there anything else you'd like to say before I stand and we're no longer the same height?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING—" Ed began, but it was muffled when Alphonse grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth.

"He didn't mean it, sir," Al said, then changed the subject. "This is so awesome! I'm really excited to celebrate Christmas now!"

Roy stood as Ed wriggled out of his brother's grip. Folding his arms, Ed rolled his eyes and said, "This is dumb. I mean, you don't even know what you're doing."

Roy smiled a little. This was the way Ed acted when what he said didn't match with how he felt. "Hm... You're probably right. Why don't you tell us what we should be doing."

"Maybe I will!" Ed said smuggly then walked past him and started talking animatedly with the librarian.

Picking the box up, Roy opened it and held it out toward Alphonse. "Since you're tall, I'd like you to go around and put these up in all the doorways and preferably over the desks of all female personnel on this floor."

Both Al and Riza glanced into the box, then Riza reached in and pulled out a bundle of leathery green leaves with small waxy berries. A frown touched her lips before giving Roy a questioning look.

"Phoradendron flavescens (1)," Roy said easily. "More commonly known as 'Mistletoe'. It is a _very_ important part of this Christmas holiday. According to the texts I've read, Mistletoe is put up everywhere and whenever person steps under it, then the person closest to that person in distance must kiss that person."

"Well, that's not exactly right," Al said quickly when he saw the rancid look on Hawkeye's face. "Most people only put up one bundle and when two people stand under it at the same time then they're supposed to kiss."

Hawkeye glanced down at the plant, then to Roy and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, it _is_ closer to what Alphonse said, but I was trying to paraphrase it," he explained.

Dropping the Mistletoe back into the box, Hawkeye looked at Al and said, "Put it up according to your traditions, okay? And be sure to let everyone know what they're for and the traditions associated with it." She gave Roy a flat stare. "Just in case anyone gets any ideas..."

"Can't imagine what you mean, Lieutenant," Roy said innocently, disappointed that his plan to get a kiss out of every woman in his section had been ruined.

* * *

1. There are two types of mistletoe. One is _Phoradendron flavescens_, which is native to North America, and _Viscum album_, which is European in origin. I decided to use the North American variety because it is more often used for Christmas decorations.

—

I hope you enjoyed that, and don't forget to check out the music file for this chapter. :)

**A huge thank you to all of you who have left me comments so far**. Right now I'm really busy with packing and trying to find a place to live, and a bunch of other crazy stuff, so knowing that people are enjoying the story really helps motivate me to post on time and to finish the last few chapters.


	4. Memo

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**4**

**Memo**

**-**

**From:** Captain Sarah Candland—secretary to Colonel Mustang, Division 284, Section 6.  
**To:** Colonel Juliette Douglass—secretary to Fuhrer Bradley.  
**Re:** Christmas?

Colonel Douglass,

I am completely at a loss at this moment. Apparently Colonel Mustang has decided this whole section is to celebrate—at least at the office—an ancient holiday called 'Christmas'. I am not against holidays, but the insanity that is ensuing from this is almost too much for me to handle.

I feel like I'm working in a forest. There are several pine trees in this section now. They're all decorated with ornaments and small electric lights. Apparently candles were supposed to be used, but Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye insisted it was against the fire code. Sergeant Major Kain Fuery came up with an interesting idea that included wiring together small electric bulbs and putting them on the trees. As if this was not enough, Major Edward Elric and his brother insisted on painting the bulbs different colors.

I must admit it is rather pretty, and if this was all, I don't know that there would be much of an issue. However, the walls are also lined with holly and ivy, and Colonel Mustang has hung up small bundles of plants called 'Mistletoe'. He insists that whenever two people are under the plant, they have to kiss.

This has caused no small stir among many of the other soldiers and personnel. These small plants, as you may have noticed, are showing up all over the building. The female (mostly the younger ones, but some not-so-young as well) personnel (both enlisted and civilian) now idle under the plants, and the male personnel (again, both enlisted and civilian) are only too glad to indulge them in this.

Lieutenant Hawkeye now refuses to go anywhere near Colonel Mustang's office, as he has hung up several of these plants all over his office. From what I know, she is taking the matter up with General Hakuro later today.

I have also had to endure the throwing of pinecones down the hallways. The worst offenders are Warrant Officer Vato Falman and Lieutenant Heymans Breda. I have complained to Colonel Mustang about this, but so far I have seen no results.

While a festive mood is on most people in this section, I must report that Major Elric's attitude has become sullen and increasingly unpleasant to witness. He seems to put up with this 'Christmas thing' in order to make his younger brother happy, but it does create problems in the office.

Even though this problem is unpleasant, it is not something I would have bothered you with except that you had asked me to report any unusual behavior.

Sarah Candland  
Division 284, Section 6  
6-843-524-4168

* * *

**A/N:** I've had a few people e-mail me asking if this story will be yaoi. In case anyone else has the same questions, I've decided to make a quick note.

I'm sorry, but this story isn't yaoi. There are no pairings and all the characters are heterosexual. In fact, on the pendulum of 'yaoi' and 'het' it inches closer to the 'het' side.

If you're looking for a yaoi Christmas story, I do have a Roy/Ed one from a few years ago called, "The Gift". But as for this story, there are no pairings.

Thank you for reading! Until tomorrow! :)


	5. E Scrooge

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**5**

**E. Scrooge**

**-**

If he had been able to, Alphonse Elric would have had a wide grin on his face. As it was he simply sat at the library table and enjoying the happy feeling he felt inside.

Christmas!

They were going to celebrate _Christmas_!

It was almost too much for him to take in. He wanted to shout for joy—and he'd actually done that several times in the past few days—but they were in the library now, so he tried to keep his overabundance of excitement to a minimum.

Looking at his brother across the table, Al watched him lean close to the book he was reading, then bring his hand up and nibble lightly on one of his fingernails. It was a horrible habit, and they both knew it, but it was one that Ed did without conscientious thought and Al had given up trying to point it out to him.

Looking down at his own text, Al let his eyes move over the words, but he couldn't keep his mind on them. Glancing back up at his older brother, Al fought an inner war about whether he should keep quiet or not. Ed had been extremely irritable ever since Al had insisted they try to celebrate Christmas on their own, and even more so since his coworkers had taken up the festive spirit of celebration.

As if sensing that he was being watched, Ed looked up, stared at him, then after a moment dropped his hand from his mouth. He looked as if he was expecting Al to lecture him on biting his nails again, but when he didn't, Ed frowned deeply.

"What?"

Al shook his head. "It's... It's nothing..." He picked up his book and tried to bury his face in it. After a moment, Al looked over the book to see that he was still being stared at.

"Al..." Ed said in a low, inquiring tone.

Putting the book down, Al said, "Weeeell... I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

Another moment of silence, and then Al couldn't keep it in any longer. "Can we go caroling?" Ed gave him a disgusted look, then glanced back down to his research. "It would be fun, brother!"

"People would think we were strange. No one knows about Christmas anyway," Ed grunted.

"We could carol around Central Headquarters!" Al insisted. When he got only a grunt in response, Al decided to talk about something other than caroling. "I talked to Sergeant Fuery and he said that he has extra lights left."

"So?" Ed muttered.

"We could put them up around the window in our dorm," Al suggested happily.

"No."

Al felt his excitement dim slightly, but he wasn't willing to give up. "Do you think he'll like his present?"

"Who?" Ed asked disinterestedly.

"Colonel Must—" Al began, but was cut off.

"Who cares? I only got him something 'cause you insisted on it," Ed said. Al knew this wasn't true, but he didn't bother disputing the fact. It would only embarrass his brother and they'd probably argue. "He's probably opened it by now."

"You know he still has it on his desk," Al pointed out.

"Then he probably just doesn't give a shit," Ed snapped, looking up at Al. "It will probably stay there all next year and gather dust."

Al stared at his brother, now starting to feel a little frustrated by Ed's unwillingness to enjoy himself. He had such good memories of being with his brother and mother in the past as they celebrated Christmas. True, the whole of Rizembool also celebrated it, and it really was much more exciting that way, but still...

"You're such a scrooge," Al finally said, referring to a story about an old miser that their mother used to read to them—a story from their father's collection of old books.

"Bah, humbug," Ed grunted pointedly as he looked back at his research.

Al stared at Ed, then said, "I'm going to write out all the Christmas songs I can remember." When he got no response, Al pulled over some blank pieces of paper and began to write as he tried to think of ways to convince Ed to carol with him.

* * *

I hope you all have a wonderful day today :) Thank you all for reading.


	6. In the News

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**6**

**In the News**

**-  
****By Lydia Hatchet  
****Central Times**

**CENTRAL CITY – **The snow is on the ground and many in Central are heading in doors for the winter or gearing up for snowball fights or to go sledding. This is just the time of year to snuggle under a blanket, drink hot chocolate, and sit around a pine tree decorated with various ornaments and lights.

If this sounds a little strange to you, you are not alone.

Several neighborhoods in Central City are participating in gift exchanges, caroling, and telling their children stories about a mythical man named 'Father Christmas' or 'Santa Claus' who will leave them gifts, under the afore mentioned tree, for good behavior. All this in the name of an ancient holiday called 'Christmas'.

"Seems to me that some of them people in the military are celebrating it, 'cause I took them up to go get some pine trees," Philip Taylor, a logger for Clinton and Sons said. "Seemed like a right nice holiday to be celebrating, so I talked it over with the wife and we decided to do it. The wife talked to all her friends, and it just sort of spread."

Several plant nurseries have received large orders for holly and ivy, poinsettias, and other plants that are uncommon in home decoration.

"We think this Christmas holiday is great," Fletcher Tringham, a worker in one of the nurseries, said. "We tell everyone about Christmas now. It's really boosted sells."

The spirit of gift giving and good will is in the air, and some have even mentioned the desire for this to become an official holiday. But, for now, Christmas still remains relatively unknown in most of Central. Only time will tell if that will change.

* * *

And that's all for today, folks! See you tomorrow :)


	7. Unexpected Turn

**-**

**Father Christmas **

**7**

**Unexpected Turn**

**-**

Colonel Juliette Douglass, secretary to the fuhrer, knocked lightly on the door to the inner office of Fuhrer Bradley. Not bothering to wait for a reply, she opened the door and let herself inside. Bradley, a well built man in his early fifties was sitting at his desk going through a few papers.

He didn't look up as she set a cup of coffee and a newspaper down at the end of his desk, so she waited silently to see if he needed anything from her. His brow darkened as he poured over the documents in his hands, then he put them down and took a sip of the coffee before looking up at her.

"This country needs something..." he mused out loud. "The economic situation in the larger cities, especially here in Central City, is worsening. Something new needs to be done..."

"Are you considering a war, sir?" she asked without much emotion.

"Hmmm..." he mused, then took another sip before putting the coffee down and opening the newspaper. "Perhaps..." A long pause, then, "You're dismissed."

She curtly nodded once, then turned and walked quickly from the room. As she shut the door and headed across the large open area that served partially as her office, and partially as the fuhrer's antechamber, her mind was already filled with a list of things she needed to accomplish. People to call, memos to write...

After about fifteen minutes, the door to the fuhrer's inner office opened, and she looked up in surprise. He rarely came out that soon after receiving his morning coffee and newspaper.

"Sir?" she asked, and stood respectfully.

He had a pleased look on his face as he approached her. "Does the word 'Christmas' mean anything to you?" he asked.

"I've heard it before, sir."

One of his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, sir. I received a memo from Captain Candland from section 6 concerning the matter. It seems that Colonel Roy Mustang has decided to celebrate it in his section." She stopped, considering whether she should expound on the matter further, then added, "I've done a bit of research on the holiday since then."

"Mustang, huh?" Fuhrer Bradley mused in amusement. He rubbed thoughtfully at his chin, then grinned broadly. "Come with me. I think I want to see what Colonel Mustang has been up to, and you're going to tell me everything you've researched on the way."

* * *

Until tomorrow! :)


	8. Unwanted Assignment

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**8**

**Unwanted Assignment**

**-  
**Roy slid the last of the documents into their folder and walked over to one of the filing cabinets and put it away. He was glad to be finished with that particular piece of work given the amount of bustle and noise that was going on today.

He could hear people out in the hallway laughing and talking, and not for the first time, Roy rubbed his forehead to ease the small ache that wouldn't seem to go away. The Christmas idea had seemed okay at the time, but it had really disrupted the everyday workings in his section.

He'd had to pull a few people aside and chastise them for not getting their work done, which he hated to do, but work was work. Roy would admit that he also liked to slack off here and there, but he always did so knowing that he would be able to get his work done on time.

Closing the cabinet, Roy glanced around and smiled a little. It wasn't as if this holiday thing was _all_ bad... His eyes rested on the mistletoe that hung in the doorway and also over his desk. He'd gotten several kisses because of those lovely little plants.

Roy frowned. No kisses from Lieutenant Hawkeye though... He remembered clearly how she'd stayed out of his offices for a while, then told him point blank that if he tried to kiss her she would report him for sexual harassment after she shot his balls off.

With a sigh, Roy headed out of his office to get a cup of coffee from the break room. It was only a _kiss_. It wasn't like he was going to strip her naked and defile the lovely body that resided inside of that boorish uniform. Not that he wouldn't _like_ to do that... but... Her threat came to mind and he instantly cleared the thoughts from his head.

"Hey boss," Havoc greeted from inside the break room. "I got two kisses already this morning," he boasted.

"Kisses from Hawkeye's dog don't count," Falman pointed out from where he was putting money in the vending machine.

Roy smirked when Havoc made a sound of protest. Falman smiled triumphantly, then pushed one of the buttons. "Well, how many did _you_ get?"

Bending over to retrieve his snack, Falman shook his head. "I'm not in on this. I'm just one of the spectators betting money on who will win."

Roy grabbed one of the styrofoam cups and poured himself some coffee. "I think it's obvious that I will get more kisses before Christmas than you do," he said smugly.

Falman nodded and opened the package. "My money is on you, sir."

"So is mine!" Breda's voice interrupted and they all looked toward the door as he walked in. "Fuery is almost done putting those lights up around the window out there." He laughed. "You should see the sour look that's on the secretary's face."

Not about to let the conversation be sidetracked, Havoc said irritably, "How interesting can it be if you _all_ put your money on the same person."

Roy took a sip of his coffee. "Not very confident, are you?"

Havoc scowled. "Fine. You might get more kisses than me, but I bet you I can get a kiss out of Hawkeye under a mistletoe plant before you do!"

"Oh ho ho!" Breda chortled. "He's going for the _big_ money!"

"No way," Falman said at the same time.

Roy smirked. "Have you tried to do that yet?"

"Nope, but I bet you I could," Havoc pressed. Roy took another sip of his coffee, and snorted smugly. Between the chances of getting his manhood shot off and losing to Havoc, there was no contest.

"You got a deal," he said. There was no way he'd lose to Havoc; especially not on this.

Havoc opened his mouth to say something, then stopped when a young sergeant poked his head in the room and said quickly, "Sir! The fuhrer is here!"

Roy had just been taking another sip and the liquid caught in his throat. He coughed hard at the unexpected news, then quickly put the cup down and hurried out of the break room after Breda, Falman, and Havoc.

"Sir!" Roy said, stopping and snapping a crisp solute.

"Who is responsible for all of this?" the fuhrer asked sharply.

Roy's heart dropped as everyone's head swung back to look at him. He wanted to say that in reality this had been _Hawkeye's_ idea, but he didn't. He had authorized it, so it became his burden to bear.

"That would be me, sir," Roy said stiffly, looking straight ahead and not meeting the fuhrer's hard gaze.

"Did you get permission to set all of this up?" Fuhrer Bradley asked in a hard tone. Roy pressed his lips together. He could feel sweat prickling on his forehead, upper lip, under his arms, and on his palms.

"No, sir."

There was a long and very tense moment of silence before the fuhrer's serious expression dropped and he laughed in amusement. "At ease, Colonel. I'm just having some fun with you. I heard about this Christmas thing and decided to come see these decorations for myself." Feeling an overwhelming rush of relief, Roy slowly lowered his hand and nodded.

"Very festive," Fuhrer Bradley said as he examined the plants affixed to the walls, then he moved over and inspected the tree closely before looking to Fuery. The master sergeant had been in the middle of stringing lights around the window, but had stopped halfway through.

The fuhrer fingered the wires that held the panted lights together, then looked at Fuery. "Master Sergeant Fuery, I presume?"

Fuery seemed surprised and a little take aback that the fuhrer should know his name. "Y-y-yes, sir!"

"I've been told that you were the one to come up with this idea. Very clever."

"Thank you, sir!" Fuery exclaimed, straightening and giving a solute.

"How quickly could these be produced in large quantities?"

Fuery seemed surprised by the question, but after a moment he said, "It would depend on the amount of materials and workers available, but if all of that was in place then it wouldn't take very long."

The fuhrer nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Roy. "Come with me to my office. I have something to discuss with you."

* * *

Roy watched as the fuhrer took a seat at his desk. He hadn't been invited to sit, so he continued to stand.

"Have you read the newspaper this morning?"

"Not yet," Roy admitted. Normally he glanced over the paper in the morning, but left in-depth reading of it until his morning break.

Fuhrer Bradley nodded, then said, "I read an interesting article this morning about your holiday."

_Fullmetal's holiday, not mine,_ Roy thought. The urge to correct the fuhrer was strong, but he knew this wasn't the time and the correction would not be appreciated.

"It seems that there are people in Central who you or your men have come in contact with that have decided they would also like to celebrate Christmas."

Roy had heard a few people mention they liked the idea, but he hadn't realized that there were enough people that it would be noticed by the newspaper.

"It was a small article, but it shows that the interest is still there, and it seems to be growing." Roy nodded, not exactly sure where the fuhrer was going with this. Bradley seemed to sense Roy's confusion and gave a small smile.

"What do you think would happen if everyone here in Central were given the opportunity to celebrate this holiday?"

Roy raised an eyebrow and the fuhrer's smile broadened.

"Pine trees would be brought into Central in droves, ornaments would need to be manufactured to decorate those trees. Lights like your master sergeant has created would be in high demand, not only for the trees but also for household decoration. And then there would be the people who would be buying gifts for friends, family, and neighbors—not counting the gifts that would be bought for their children in the place of this 'Father Christmas' character."

Roy nodded slowly. He could see now why the fuhrer had taken such an interest in this holiday. The economic advantages were clear.

"It would also be good to provide the general public more to think about than just their miserable lives and how cold, dark, and wet it is right now. A mid-winter holiday would definitely do some good."

Roy waited, thinking he knew where this was going, but not wanting to make any assumptions.

"I have decided that all of Central will celebrate this holiday," Fuhrer Bradley said. "We still have a couple of weeks until the twenty-fifth. There is plenty of time."

"An excellent idea, sir," Roy said, though not sure if he really felt that way or not. So far this holiday had been mostly a headache, but at least this way he wouldn't get so many strange stares, or have to explain what he was doing to every person he came in contact with.

The fuhrer grinned widely now. "I knew you'd say that. Since you've already devoted so much time to this project, I'm going to put _you_ in charge of this undertaking."

Roy felt like someone had just hit him in the head with a sledgehammer. "Me?!" Roy couldn't keep the shock out of his voice.

Standing now, Fuhrer Bradley walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "Yes _you_. Put whoever you need on this. I want this to be a success."

"But... sir... This is an old religious holiday... Some people probably won't be interested in—"

"Then don't focus on the religious aspect, Colonel. You're not a religious man, and you started this new phenomenon."

"Actually, I got the idea from Fullmetal..." Roy said, hoping that maybe he'd have a chance to pawn this off onto the brat.

"Oh really? Well, even better. It _is_ a children's holiday after all. I especially want that boy involved." The fuhrer laughed lightly and pounded Roy on the back. "And it helps that he's so well liked among the people, right?"

Roy knew that there was no way out of this. Regretting having ever let Hawkeye talk him into this, he listened to what the fuhrer expected of him, knowing that he was going to have a very busy and crazy few of weeks.

* * *

:grins: So who do _you_ think will win in Mustang and Havoc's little bet?

Until tomorrow!


	9. Planning

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**9**

**Planning**

**-  
**Roy sat at his desk and watched his subordinates chat among themselves. All they were missing was Fullmetal and his brother, and then they'd be able to begin. He tapped his fingers on his desk impatiently. Didn't that brat know what it meant to be on time? At that moment the door opened and the two Elric brothers stuck their heads into the room.

"Sorry we're late," Ed said, sounding like he actually meant it.

"Yeah, it's fine," Roy said irritably. "Come in and find a seat."

Ed frowned, opened his mouth as if to say something, then seemed to think better of it. He walked in and waved for his brother to join him. When Al entered the room, Roy saw that he was wearing wreath around his head.

"Very nice," Breda chortled when he saw it.

"Thanks!" Al said happily.

Ed shook his head, muttered something under his breath, then sat down on the couch. Al stayed standing, given that there wasn't enough room on the couches with everyone else there.

Now everyone in the room turned their attention to Roy. He looked down at the folder before him, then opened it and smoothed the papers with his hand. If only he didn't have to do this... Reluctantly, he looked up at his staff, cleared his throat, and began.

"I've called you all in here because the fuhrer has given me a special assignment." He paused, tapping his fingers on his desk. "He has decided that all of Central is going to celebrate Christmas."

There were looks of surprise from that, but Roy continued on. "He's going to announce to the public, and to all the media, later today that the twenty-fifth will be an official holiday."

"Does that mean we get the day off?" Havoc interrupted.

"Yes," Roy said flatly, not pleased at being interrupted.

"Sweet..." Breda whispered with a grin.

"This is going to be huge," Roy continued. "There's a lot that needs to be done. Trees, decorations, etcetera, need to be readily available for the general public. Not only that but the people need to be educated on this holiday, and _fast_. It has to be everywhere. The whole city is going to be decorated."

"Wow, sounds like a lot of work," Fuery said.

"Yeah, I pity the poor sap who has to take care of all of that," Havoc said with a laugh.

"No kidding. I think I'd kill myself. It's going to be a mad house," Breda said.

Roy just watched them with a flat stare. If he could get away with burning them all to a crisp, he would have. He glanced at Hawkeye who was not laughing, but who had understood immediately what this was about. Ed also seemed to have understood because he had a horrified look on his face, as if he couldn't believe this was happening. Roy guessed Al understood too, but without the ability to change his expression, Roy couldn't read him.

Clearing his throat, Roy said loudly, "Funny you should mention having to take care of this mess..." All eyes were on him now and he raised an eyebrow meaningfully. With that, all grins were gone as the rest of his crew realized what was going on.

"That's right. I will be in charge of this project. And you, my faithful minions," Roy added dryly, "will do my bidding or you will feel my wrath..." He stared flatly at Havoc and Breda.

When they simply looked at them, he glanced down at the documents he'd prepared. Contracts with several plant nurseries to order in loads of 'holiday' plants. There was Clinton and Sons, the largest logging company in Amestris, who would get a contract to bring in truck loads of trees and set up tree lots. He had several stores to talk to, contractors with the city who own empty lots to store trees and other materials. Not only that, but he needed to meet with a contractor who he hoped would take on the task of making Fuery's lights. Once he got that set up, he'd have Fuery be over that...

He looked up and quickly explained all of the preparation that were being made and what they'd be over. Roy could tell they were not exactly enthusiastic, but neither was he.

"Any questions?" he asked, looking around. When no one said anything, Roy continued. "Now, Fullmetal, you and your brother—" Roy nodded toward Alphonse. "You've celebrated this before, so I would like your input and suggestions."

Ed snorted and rolled his eyes, but Alphonse stepped forward and said eagerly, "This is going to be _great!_ I have some ideas that might help."

"Just what I was hoping for," Roy said, sitting back in his chair and giving the younger Elric brother his full attention.

"Most of what you're doing is great, but I think you should have someone who can play Father Christmas publically. In Rizembool, we always have someone who dresses up like Father Christmas and the children come and sit on his lap and tell him what they want.

Roy nodded. Seemed like a good idea to him. "What if we had someone there who could write down what the kid said and give that to the parents?" he mused out loud.

"I don't like how you're making this all about money," Ed finally put in.

"Fullmetal," Roy said calmly. "Shut up."

"I thought you wanted my opinion," Ed snapped.

The words 'I lied' were on his lips, but instead Roy said, "I do, _if_ it's relevant." Ed folded his arms across his chest and glared at him, but said nothing; so Roy looked back at Alphonse. "Please continue," he said.

Al looked at his brother, then back to Roy before saying, "You could try to get kids to write letters to send to Father Christmas too." Again Roy nodded. Perfect. That would boost the revenue for the postal service and it would give parent a chance to see what their kids wanted.

For the next ten minutes Al gave his ideas and they all listened. When he was done, Hawkeye asked, "Who will we have play Father Christmas for the children?" There was a moment of silence before everyone looked at Roy.

"Not a chance," he said defiantly. He'd already been talked into playing Father Christmas for the Elric brothers, and now he was in charge of getting this new holiday going.

"Can we call this guy F.C. for short?" Breda asked suddenly. "You know, just to shorten it?"

"Why don't we go with 'Santa Claus'," Fuery suggested. "Then you could shorten it to 'Santa'."

"Santa?" Hawkeye asked with a frown.

"Sheska... uh, the librarian? She mentioned it was one of the names he was known by."

"What's wrong with F.C.?" Breda pressed. "It sounds hip and modern."

"It sounds _stupid_," Ed said. "If you shorten it to that then no one will remember the name."

Roy wrote 'Santa Claus' on one of the papers, then got up and grabbed one of the books he'd used to research the holiday. Flipping through the pages, Roy finally stopped in a section where some old pictures showed how different countries and peoples viewed this Father Christmas character. He walked over to his staff and set the open book on the coffee table, then pointed to one of the pictures. It sported an older looking fat man wearing red and white clothing.

"That's him. Santa."

They all stared at the picture for a moment, then Falman re-asked Hawkeye's question. "So who will it be?"

Roy pressed his lips together in thought. They could have some auditions, but that could take days, and people wouldn't really know what they were auditioning for. No... he needed someone right away, and he needed someone he could trust...

Glancing down at the picture, Roy tried to think of someone he knew who seemed to be 'jolly'. Someone 'happy' and 'delightful' as this Santa Claus seemed to be. Suddenly the image of Alex Armstrong with a fake beard, dressed all in red and white, and laughing merrily—practically sparkling with jolliness—came to mind.

He forced the idea from his mind immediately and shook his head. Armstrong would be good for the position in many ways, but no... that was just a little _too_ jolly. And Armstrong's size and overzealousness might scare the kids—especially the little ones. Not only that, but it might put the parents off as well...

No, not Armstrong...

Again he searched his mind. Jolly... happy... would definitely have to love kids...

And then it came to him and he smiled widely. "Men," he said, looking at Havoc, Fuery, Breda, and Falman. Glancing at Hawkeye, he said with a small nod, "Women..." Then he looked at Ed and smirked, "Midgets..." Ed nearly bounded out of his chair in anger, but Alphonse held him back. Roy grinned then announced, "I think I know who our Santa will be."

* * *

Although I'm sure Armstrong would make a pretty decent Santa, I think I'd have to agree with Mustang that he'd probably be a little too much for the kids to handle haha

A big thanks to everyone who has commented. It really brightens my day and it's always nice to know people are enjoying the story. :)

Until tomorrow!


	10. Santa Claus

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**10**

**Santa Claus**

**-**

"HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas! Aren't you just the cutest thing ever?!"

Ed watched Maes Hughes with mixed feelings as the man set the little girl on his lap and began asking her what she wanted for Christmas. He hated to see this holiday, one that held so many good memories, being used for the commercialistic purposes of the fuhrer.

Contrary to what everyone seemed to think, Ed actually _did_ like Christmas. He had fond memories of making Christmas treats with his mother and Al, or his mother reading them stories by the tree, or even of going caroling with his family and friends. He remembered going to sit on Santa's lap and giving a long list of things that he wanted.

And that was the problem.

Whatever 'magic' this holiday had once held for him was gone now. He'd known somewhere in the back of his mind that Father Christmas wasn't real and that his mother was the one who had filled their stockings, but the reality of it had become cold and hard once she'd died.

Ed couldn't understand why his brother wouldn't just let it go—just let it die. He didn't understand how Al could find happiness in something that was so hard for Ed to think about. The Christmas presents had been a concession because Al had made such a big fuss about it, but then stupid Mustang had decided they'd decorate the office, and _now_...

He glanced at Hughes as the little girl gave him a big hug, then got off his lap and ran to her mother.

Now the fuhrer had gotten involved and it was becoming something huge... It was something that Ed couldn't turn away from, couldn't ignore. It hurt ever time he had to listen to a Christmas carol, or see a decorated tree, or...

Swallowing hard, Ed eyed Hughes. The man was almost perfect for the part. He was happy, jubilant, and welcoming; and Ed almost felt jealous of the kids who were coming to sit on his lap. Those kids would have something that Ed didn't feel like he could ever have again. Who cared about their stupid wishes for toys and games anyway?

Hughes glanced over and saw that Ed was looking at him, so he winked and gave Ed a quick smile. Ed scowled darkly, but the man was already looking away and calling the next child forward.

Ed wanted things too... but they weren't things that Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, or whatever they wanted to call him, could just pull out of his bag and stick under the tree. If that was possible, then maybe Ed would believe, maybe the magic would be back for him...

Maybe...

Ed felt a small touch on his shoulder and saw Kain Fuery looking down at him. "Cheer up. It's only until they can find someone to do this job."

Scowling, Ed reached up and adjusted the hat that sat precariously on his head. That was another thing to add to his bad mood. Given the short timing, and wanting to get things going right away, Mustang had insisted that Ed and Fuery fill in as elves until they could get some people hired to do the part. They were the shortest and therefore best for the positions.

Ed had thrown a fit, but there had been no getting out of it. He glanced at Hughes again and smirked. At least all he had to do was dress up for the part. They had considered a wig and a fake beard for Hughes, but the man had insisted that wasn't realistic enough so Ed had used alchemy to change the man's hair to white. The same with his eyelashes and facial hair—which he was growing out a little bit.

"He sure seems to be enjoying this, doesn't he?" Fuery said with a smile.

"Yeah, he would," he said grumpily. Ed was about to say something else when he was cut off.

"You make a _great_ elf, Fullmetal. Perhaps I'll just assign you to do that for the rest of the season."

Ed turned and saw Mustang laughing at him. Without thinking, Ed brought his hand up and slowly lifted his middle finger. He opened his mouth, then shut it when he heard a little kid in the line say, "Mommy, that elf is flipping that man off!"

Feeling a little ashamed, Ed quickly dropped his hand, then walked over to where Mustang was smirking down at him. "You do and I'll make your life a living hell."

"As opposed to what you do now?" Mustang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's it!" Ed snarled, pulling his hat off and hurling it at Mustang's chest. "I quit! It's already been three days. When are you going to get replacements?"

Roy grabbed the hat—a green and white pointed thing—and waved it while looking at Hughes. "I'm going to borrow your elf, Santa." Hughes gave him a thumbs up, then went back to talking with the little boy on his lap. "Come with me, Ed," Mustang said, then grabbed his arm and led him down the sidewalk.

They walked in silence for a little while, and Ed eyed the men putting up the decorations on streetlamps and on the streetlights. Bushes and trees in front of businesses were being decorated with a newer, sturdier design of Fuery's lights that would work for outdoor weather. Up ahead was a tree lot where people were buying pine trees by the droves.

A large truck drove by just then, and Ed could see the massive Evergreen tree tied securely in the back. Most likely that was the giant tree that Mustang had ordered for Central Square just a few blocks away. The lighting ceremony would be tomorrow night. The fuhrer would give a short speech, they'd light the tree and the square, and then there would be a festival-type atmosphere as a band played and vendors of all kinds sold goods and treats. There would be games and a place for people to dance.

Al was really excited about it... And, truthfully, Ed felt somewhat excited too, but he'd done his best to push it away. They had other things to do besides play around for a few weeks... He couldn't get distracted from what was really important.

"What's your problem, Ed?" Ed glanced up at Mustang who wasn't looking at him, but straight forward. "Your brother is thrilled about all of this, but you've been nothing but bad tempered since you came into my office that morning and gave me that gift."

Ed frowned and looked away. "It's not the same as before... it's..." He bit off what he was about to say. It wasn't like Mustang actually cared what was going on in his heart of hearts, and Ed sure as hell didn't want to let him in on that. "We have other things to do. This is just getting in the way," Ed finally said.

"Getting in the way?"

"Yeah. We have research to do. Tons of people before us have tried to find the Philosopher's Stone, and they never succeeded. Me an' Al, we _have_ to. I _promised_ Al that I would get his body back. He's counting on me. We don't have time to waste on stupid stuff like this. It's kid stuff."

Mustang stopped, and Ed had taken a couple of steps before he'd realized it, then he stopped too.

"Kid stuff, huh?" the man said with a crooked smile.

"I'm not a kid anymore," Ed said angrily, knowing where this was going.

Nodding, Mustang said, "No, of course not. At thirteen, you're _completely_ an adult."

While Mustang's tone hadn't changed, Ed knew he was being made fun of. Walking over to him, Ed said, "Just shut up. We stopped being kids a long time ago, we've gone through stuff you can't even imagine, so don't pretend like you know everything."

One corner of Mustang's lip twitched up and Ed knew he was fighting to keep from laughing. And then, the man reached out and put the hat back on Ed's head.

"You say that this is all a waste of time and that you have to spend every waking moment trying to find a way to get your brother back to how he was before, but..." Mustang paused, looked around, then back at Ed. "I don't think your brother thinks this is a waste of time at all and he's the one missing a body. Maybe you should think about how to make your brother happy now as well as how to make him happy in the future."

Ed blinked, taken aback. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, not really sure what to say to that.

"Just think about it," Mustang said, then turned. "Oh and I found some people to do the job so this is the last day you'll have to dress up like an elf." And with that, he walked away, leaving Ed alone to stare after him.

* * *

Haha so those of you who guessed Hughes were right. Good job :)

Real life is eating my time. I had wanted to respond to every comment for this story, but I just can't. I'll try to respond to as many as possible though as I have the time. Thanks for understanding.


	11. Tree Ceremony

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**11**

**Tree Ceremony**

**-  
**"This is AMAZING!!" Alphonse shouted, spreading his arms wide in his excitement.

Ed looked around Central Square feeling a little amazed himself. The huge tree was now decorated lavishly, but no lights were on except for regular street lamps. Ed knew that the trees lining the square had also gotten lights, and they'd be light up as well tonight, but he didn't think that anyone not on the planning committee knew this.

"Look at all these people, brother," Al said in awe. "It looks like the whole city is here!"

Ed nodded as he looked around at the mass of people in the large square. It really did look like the whole city was there, though he suspected that most likely wasn't the case. Still... the turnout was massive and it hadn't even started yet.

"Come on," Ed said, grabbing Al's loin cloth and starting into the crowd. "Let's go see what they're doing at the platform. If we're lucky we won't have to hang around long."

They pushed their way through the crowed to where preparations for the fuhrer's big speech and the lighting ceremony were to take place. Fuery and Havoc were inspecting the wires, while Hawkeye was talking to Breda about something.

"Hey," Ed said, drawing close.

"Oh good," Fuery said. "Ed can you crawl under this and make sure everything is plugged in?" He turned to Havoc and said with a frown, "I told them to make sure there was enough space for us to check all this stuff."

Ed scowled irritably, knowing that he was being relegated to this because of his size. "Stupidsizenotelfsizewhatthehellisthis...?" he muttered incoherently under his breath as he wriggled underneath the platform to check the wires. One of the cables had been severed, and Ed quickly repaired it, then scooted butt first, out of the confined space.

"Anyone seen Father Christmas?" Falman said, as Ed looked up.

Hawkeye shook her head. "You know he hates being called that, don't you?"

Breda grinned. "That's part of the fun," he said in amusement.

Ed rolled his eyes. He didn't know where it had come from, but the other officers had started to get into the habit of calling Mustang 'Father Christmas'. It seemed to be some sort of inside joke, and no one was willing to let Ed in on it.

"We only do it 'cause he hates it," Havoc said, lighting up a cigarette and taking a deep drag.

"Alphonse!"

At the shout, everyone turned their heads to the right where Mustang was quickly trotting over to them.

"You see those men over there by the tree? They need someone tall and strong, would you go help them?"

"Sure!" Al said happily and scampered off.

Ed glanced at Mustang, who was wearing a three piece suit and his hair was slicked back. "You look nice," Ed said in surprise. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, though considering that none of the other officers were in military blues, then Mustang wouldn't be either.

Mustang looked at him in surprise, then stepped over and put one hand on Ed's forehead and one on his own. "You don't feel feverish..."

"I'm not sick; I just had a moment of insanity," Ed said irritably as he pushed the man's hand away.

There was a momentary smirk, then Mustang turned and became all business. "Did you get the wires fixed?"

"Yeah. Actually Ed did," Fuery said. "He's the only one who could fit in—" The master sergeant broke off when he saw that Ed was about to launch into one of his famous rants, and said, "I mean, he's the only one who could fix it..."

Mustang reached over and patted Ed on the head. "Good boy! You deserve a biscuit."

"Die. Just die..." Ed snarled, batting Mustang's hand way.

"Is everything ready here?" Mustang asked, glancing around.

"Yes, sir, Father Christmas, sir," Havoc said, giving a solute.

Mustang ignored him and looked at Hawkeye, who nodded. "Yes, sir. Everything is ready for the program."

"Good," Mustang said, and pulled out his watch to check the time. "The fuhrer should be here soon." He looked up. "Are Maes and Gracia ready?"

"Dressed and ready to go," Falman said.

"Hey," Ed said, interrupting. "Do you need me anymore? I want to go hang out with Al."

Mustang looked down at him, and pressed his lips in thought. "No... I think that should be fine. Enjoy the festivities with your brother."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said. "We'll check out your dumb festival." Not waiting for a response, Ed wandered away in search of Al. He looked where Mustang had sent him earlier, but no one was there. He frowned and looked around the sea of people.

Normally it was easy to find his brother, but normally he wasn't stuck in a crowd of people like this either. Frustrated, but unwilling to give up, Ed ran back to the stage and climbed up on top of it. At that vantage point it was easy to see where Al had gone off to.

"Hey you! Get down from there!" someone yelled at him. Normally, Ed would have set the person straight, but at this moment he didn't care. Hopping lightly off of the tall platform, Ed shouldered his way through the crowd until he found his brother watching a group of children playing a game at one of the vendor stations.

"There you are!" Ed exclaimed.

"Brother!" Al said, guilt threading through his voice. "I meant to come back, but..." Ed waved the excuse away. It wasn't like anyone was going to kidnap Al or anything like that.

"They're going to start really soon," Ed said. "We should go find a good spot."

Since they'd already known all the plans for the evening, they had scouted out the area that morning in order to see what spots would be best for viewing the lights. It didn't take them long to settle in one of those positions, but Ed realized that he'd overlooked one major problem.

"I can't see with all these tall freaks wandering all over..." Ed said, then jumped as if that was going to help.

"You want to sit on my shoulders?" Al asked. Ed quickly considered that then nodded, and in moments he had the best seat in the whole area.

Looking around, Ed had to admit to himself that everything seemed to be going smoothly and there were some interesting things going on. Mustang had done a better job that Ed would have supposed.

"What a lame festival..." Ed said, not wanting to complement Mustang, even if he wasn't here. Besides, he couldn't let himself enjoy this. Normal people had the right to have fun at stuff like this, but not him. He couldn't let himself lose sight of what he needed to do—even for a moment.

"I kinda like it..." Al said.

Ed opened his mouth to retort when a sound caught his attention. Looking toward the stage, Ed saw Mustang patting the microphone, then turning to signal to the band that it was time for them to quit playing. Instantly the music was gone, and within moments people were settling down and watching Mustang.

"Good evening," Mustang said easily. "My name is Roy Mustang and I'll be your host for this evening. It's a pleasure to see so many of you here to celebrate Central's first ever Christmas tree lighting."

Ed pulled a book from his pocket and began to read. He wasn't interested in Mustang's speech. The man had practiced it out loud in his office so many times that Ed thought he knew it by heart. Welcome the people, give information on the holiday, tell about the vendors and activates planned for the evening, and also suggest people visit the booths dedicated to giving more information on Christmas. After all of that, then he'd welcome the fuhrer to the stage.

"Blah, blah, blah..." Ed mumbled.

"Shhhh," Al hushed.

He sighed and stared down at the words before him, not really reading them anymore. He had the strongest desire to be at home with his family—with his mother, and with Al, and... not in this huge crowd of people. The heavy knowledge that he'd never again have what he'd had before gripped tightly at his heart. And yet...

"And now, what you've all been waiting for," Mustang said, breaking into Ed's thoughts. He looked up and saw his commanding officer reach a hand toward the end of the stage. "Our esteemed Fuhrer Bradley will conduct the lighting of the tree."

Eight soldiers, each in their dress uniform, surrounded the fuhrer as he walked on stage and toward the microphone. Even from this distance, Ed could see that the four closest to the fuhrer were state alchemists. The chains from their pocket watches stood out to him—maybe because he knew to look for them. The applause from the crowd was deafening and it continued for so long that the fuhrer lifted his hand to quiet them.

"My people," he began.

Ed yawned and rested his chin on the top of Al's head. While he hadn't heard the fuhrer's speech, he knew what it contained. Pleasure at the prospect of a new holiday in the coldest, darkest, and most bleak time of the year. The fact that he has generously decided to give the people a day off for this holiday, and the hope that everyone would decide to celebrate it.

Stuffing the book back into his pocket, Ed was glad that the fuhrer's comments took less time than Mustang's. He wanted to see the lights, not hear some boring speeches. With a flourish, the fuhrer stretched a hand toward the huge tree.

Ed didn't catch what he'd said before that, but it didn't really matter. There were gasps and exclamations of delight as the tree began to light up in a variety of different colors. The ornaments on the tree shone and glittered with the light.

_My idea, people,_ Ed thought smugly. _Those colored lights? Yeah, my idea._ Fuery's original idea had only included bulbs of one color, and Ed felt proud of his own contribution to this.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, the trees and bushes all around the square began to light up. There were 'oooh's and 'aaah's from the crowd and even from his own brother. Even Ed felt awed. The sight was completely enchanting. It was beautiful... If only his mother could have been here to see this...

Alphonse seemed to be thinking along those same lines because he said, "Wouldn't it have been great if mom could have been here?"

"Yeah..." Ed said quietly.

"I'm so glad we were here..." Al said, and Ed looked down at him. Al's armor reflected the lights, but to Ed it was as if his brother's happiness was visually radiating out of him.

'_I don't think your brother thinks this is a waste of time at all.'_ Ed could hear Mustang's words echo loudly in his mind and he gave a wry smile. No... he supposed Mustang was right. Al didn't think this was a waste of time. It was something that made him happy—_really_ happy. Ed supposed it would be awful of him not to let Al have that. Even if this whole Christmas thing made him feel sad, he shouldn't make his brother be miserable with him...

"And for all the children in the crowd..."

Ed looked up as Mustang's voice resonated throughout the square. If he didn't know better—and he did because he'd had to listen to the man gripe about it for days—Ed would think that Mustang really was happy to be up there.

"I present to you... Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus!"

There were squeals of pure delight from the children in the crowd as Maes Hughes and his wife, all dressed in red and white, walked onto the stage. Ed nodded in approval. Mustang really couldn't have picked a better man to play the part. Hughes waved and pointed toward some of the children, and winked at others.

When the noise quieted, Hughes announced that he and the lovely Mrs. Claus would be there all night and any children wishing to visit only needed to come to his temporary 'home' on the south side of the square. Then without fanfare, Mustang invited the crowd to have a fun and pleasant evening, and that was that. The band began to play again and the noise volume rose dramatically.

"So..." Al started tentatively. "What are we going to do now?"

Ed slipped down off his brother's shoulders, looked around, then glanced up into his brothers face before taking his hand. "Play games and enjoy the lights," he said, then gave Al a bright smile.

Alphonse was silent for a moment as if trying to figure out Ed's change in demeanor, then with a whoop of delight, he returned Ed's grip and pulled him through the crowd toward the closest game booth.

* * *

**Because there seemed to be a little confusion:**

In this story, Ed is 13 and Al is 12. Since Hughes died when Ed was 16, he's still alive in this fic. As for the homunculi, because they weren't making themselves 'known' to Ed, Al, and other main military personnel in this story until a few years after this, they don't play a real role in this story. Finally, just in case there is any doubt, this story follows the anime, but it is slightly AU (as mentioned before) given that Mustang was in East City by this time and not Central, and also they didn't have things like vending machines at that time. :)

I hope that makes things more clear for anyone who might have had questions. If you have any other questions or concerns, you can leave a comment, e-mail me, or send me a PM. Thanks! :)


	12. The New Phenomenon

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**12**

**The New Phenomenon**

**-  
****By Lydia Hatchet  
****Central Times**

**CENTRAL CITY – **Christmas fever has hit Central City. Every street is now decorated in red, green, gold, or silver. Large bows and ribbons are tied around streetlamps, bells hang from awnings, and colored lights shine out from bushes, trees, and even from houses.

'Santa Claus' has now become a new word among children as they prepare for the day that he will magically come and leave them presents for good behavior.

The push from Fuhrer Bradley to make the holiday legal has been a welcome boon to the people and to the economy. Unemployment rates have decreased sharply because many businesses are in need of extra staff to help with the workload. The Homeless Aid Society,along with other organizations, has reported an increase of charitable donations.

While there are some who grumble about the new holiday, most agree that it has done Central more good than it will do harm.

Maes Hughes, the man who dresses up as Santa Claus to hear the wishes of Central's children, is adamant about the good this holiday has done the city. "Everyone is feeling extremely generous right now. If this was something that lasted all year, we would be better for it," he says.

While it was the fuhrer that authorized the holiday, many say that the true work behind the new phenomenon is Roy Mustang—a state alchemist and colonel in the military.

"He's the guy who's behind all this," Heymans Breda, one of Colonel Mustang's subordinates, said. "He's _very_ passionate about it. We all call him 'Father Christmas'. In fact, if anyone sees him on the street, they should call him that too 'cause if it wasn't for him, none of this would have happened."


	13. Behind the Scenes

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**13**

**Behind the Scenes**

**-  
**"I believe that's about it," Falman said, closing the notebook he was holding.

Roy nodded and buried his hands more deeply into his coat pockets. They were walking along Main Street and he was pleased with what he saw. All the decorations were up, and people were bustling about with bags and boxes sporting the names of various stores.

"Oh it's Father Christmas!" one woman said to her son and they both waved enthusiastically to him. He forced a smile and waved back, then waved to others who had heard and also waved to him.

"I'm going to kill Breda," Roy said quietly to Falman as he smiled and nodded to an older lady who had recognized him. "If he ever talks to the press again, I'll fry him to a crisp."

"Yes sir," Falman said, then paused before adding, "Father Christmas, sir." Roy glanced over to see the man was trying hard not to smile.

Growling, Roy snatched the notebook, then began flipping through it. It was really of no use to tell them to stop calling him 'Father Christmas'. They knew he hated it, but that seemed to be part of the 'charm' for them to continue. And, of course, he couldn't exactly snap at the general public to stop, seeing as how they all seemed to find the idea delightful for some reason.

He glanced over the numbers provided by one of the charitable organizations, then tapped on the notebook. "They're not getting as many donations as the other ones. I want you to arrange a contribution to them from the military."

Falman nodded and took the notebook back to scribble in a few notes, then said, "Oh, another thing..."

"Hm?" Roy asked as he smiled and nodded to more people who recognized him. He was going to kill that Hatchet woman from the Times for putting his picture in the paper so many times. And Breda? He'd think of a 'special reward' for him...

"It seems the post office is being flooded with mail for 'Santa Claus'. They want to know what they should do with it all."

Roy turned at the next corner and began to head toward headquarters. "They can't just burn it?" he asked. That much paper would definitely heat the fireplace for a while. He glanced at Falman and when he saw the look on the man's face he said, "Just kidding, just kidding..." He really hadn't been, but he knew immediately that would be the wrong solution. If word got out that he'd ordered the children's letters to Santa burned... He smirked. It might tarnish his reputation, but maybe then people would stop this nonsense of calling him 'Father Christmas'.

Then an idea struck him and he grinned. "Tell the post office to forward all mail addressed to Santa Claus to Maes Hughes."

"I don't know if Major Hughes will appreciate that very much..." Falman said dryly.

Roy chuckled quietly, wishing he could see the look on Maes's face when he started getting all that mail. He began to say something, when he was cut off.

"Father Christmas!" a female's voice called out.

Roy turned to see two very lovely ladies in their early twenties calling out to him. He grinned at them and said, "Hello ladies."

They both smiled flirtatiously, and the one who had called out said, "We've both been _very _good this year. What will you be bringing us for Christmas?"

Smiling broadly now, enjoying this kind of attention, Roy said easily, "It depends on what you want. Would you like to sit on my lap and tell me?"

* * *

Roy was still smiling when he returned to headquarters. If he had more people like those two calling him Father Christmas, he wouldn't mind so much. They hadn't sat on his lap right there in public, but he _did_ get both of their phone numbers...

Walking down the hall, Roy neared his secretary's desk, then stopped. The woman was talking with Hawkeye about something, but what caught Roy's eye was that she was standing under the mistletoe he'd set up near the secretary's desk.

Before he had a chance to formulate a plan to kiss his lieutenant, Havoc slowly walked up behind her, looking determined and intent. Then suddenly he turned around and walked away for a few paces, then turned back toward Hawkeye—who had her back to him.

Roy guessed the man's plan was to kiss her and run like his life depended on it—which, it might... Havoc was about to lean in, when Hawkeye turned and saw him. She instantly frowned.

"Is there something you needed?" she asked.

He looked at her silently, then shook his head. "Just uh... I was just..." Her frown deepened into something more suspicious. "I was just looking at your hair," he settled on. "It looks really nice today."

Roy pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing. That had to be the lamest cover-up that he'd ever heard. No wonder Havoc couldn't get himself a woman.

She eyed him for a moment, then said in a dry tone, "Oh really?"

Roy shook his head. Women were smart creatures. You couldn't just compliment them and expect them to fall into your arms. The compliment had to make sense or they'd become guarded.

"Yes! Absolutely. It looks very nice," Havoc said quickly.

_He's doomed_, Roy thought.

Havoc's eyes strayed for the briefest of moments toward the mistletoe, then back to Hawkeye's face. She glanced up, then stepped out from underneath it before looking back at Havoc.

"I'm glad you approve of my _everyday_ hair style," she said coolly. She gave a tight-lipped smile, then walked swiftly past him.

Havoc sagged, then straightened when he saw that Roy was watching. Roy grinned and walked forward.

"She put you over her knee and spanked you," Roy said quietly.

"I'm not going to lose," Havoc insisted.

"How many total mistletoe kisses have you gotten so far?" Roy asked smugly. When Havoc only glared at him, Roy grinned and said, "Uh huh," before heading for his office.


	14. Letters to Santa

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**14**

**Letters to Santa**

**-  
**"No," Ed said flatly, looking at the pens and papers in Alphonse's hand.

"It will be fun!" Al said brightly.

"Absolutely not. I'm not going to write a letter to someone who doesn't exist, asking for things I'm not going to get."

"You never know..." Al said, sounding a little disheartened now. "It could happen..."

Ed opened his mouth to say that, no, it probably _wouldn't_ happen, but decided against it. If Al wanted to write a letter to Santa, then there was no real harm in that. And if he wanted Ed to write one too... a bit of a waste of time, but it _would_ make Al happy.

With a sigh of resignation, Ed took one of the pens and a piece of paper from his brother and said, "Okay, let's write letters..."

Al practically bounced as he sat down on the floor of their small dorm room and began to write. "What should I ask for?"

Ed grunted as he sat down across from Al. "How about... metal polish?" He was being sarcastic, but Al instantly began to write.

"What about books?" Al said happily.

"Maybe you should ask for a new loincloth," Ed added with a laugh.

Al giggled and continued writing. "Yeah maybe!"

"How about one with little pink flowers?" Ed suggested. At that, Al threw one of the extra pens at Ed, but Ed ducked and it missed him completely. Ed laughed and asked, "Pink hearts?"

Al stared at him, and Ed could almost imagine the little scowl his brother used to get when he pretended he was mad. Then, without warning, Al sprang toward him and the two of them were wrestling. There was yelling and laughing as they rolled around, but they stopped when someone pounded on their door.

"Keep it down in there! Some of us actually sleep at night!"

"Sorry!" they both yelled at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed softly.

Resuming their places, Al began to write furiously, while Ed simply stared at the paper. There really wasn't much that he wanted. He wanted Al to be whole again. He wanted the Philosopher's Stone to do that. And he wanted information on the Philosopher's Stone so that he could either find it or make it...

Feeling a little morose now, Ed began to write. He didn't really _ask_ for anything; there was no point when the person it was for wasn't real. But Al wanted him to write a letter, and so he did. When he was done, he stared at what he'd written, then on impulse decided to add a few other things.

Feeling suddenly exposed, Ed folded the paper and put it in an envelope before sealing it. He didn't want Al to see what he'd written... The post office was probably destroying the letters for Santa—as if anyone in their right mind would actually open and read all those letters—so it wasn't as if anyone was actually going to see what he'd written anyway.


	15. Previous Plans

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**15**

**Previous Plans**

**-  
**Roy looked at his faint reflection in the window. The contraption he'd put together—and was currently wearing—rested on the shoulders and had a hook that went over the person's head and held a mistletoe.

Grinning he turned and said, "Lieutenant, could you come here and be sure this is secured well enough on my shoulders?"

Hawkeye looked up from where she'd been going through some papers and stared blandly at him for a moment before saying, "I'm not trained in that type of thing, but I can call for Sergeant Fuery if you'd like."

Roy gave an exaggerated sigh. "Unfortunately, you're the only member of my staff in the building at the moment."

There was a moment of silence, then Hawkeye gave him a wry look and walked over to him. But instead of checking from the front, which would have put her right under the mistletoe, she moved behind him.

"My unprofessional opinion is that wearing this for too long will make your shoulders and upper back ache. I recommend removing it from your person and disposing of it."

"Well, what about from the front?" he asked, tapping on the front part of the contraption. She moved to his side, again avoiding being under the mistletoe.

"My recommendation remains the same."

He gave a wry grin, then began un-strapping it. Roy hadn't really believed it would work on her, but it never hurt to try. Though, he had plans to wear it to lunch today and see how many lovely ladies he could get a kiss from.

"Sir?" Hawkeye said after a moment.

"Yes?"

"This Christmas holiday has become very popular."

He set the contraption down on the floor by his desk, then looked at her. "That's true. It has," he agreed, curious as to where this conversation was leading.

"Do you remember the reason why it all started in the first place?"

Roy glanced over at the crudely wrapped gift the Elric brothers had given him. Instead of taking it home, he'd left it on his desk as decoration. Not only that, but if there was anything amiss, then he hoped it would happen here and not at his home.

"I believe it came about because you forced me into being Father Christmas for Ed and Al," he said, then glanced at her.

Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. "Forced?"

"Convinced," he amended. When she just looked at him, he said, "Suggested..."

"Are you still planning on doing something for those boys?"

Roy walked around his desk and sat down. "The whole point was to bring Christmas to them, right? Haven't I done that?" He grinned. "Along with the rest of Central?"

She nodded. "You have, but..."

He waited, but when she didn't continue, Roy asked, "But?"

Now Hawkeye seemed a little troubled. "Children all over Central will wake up on Christmas morning to find treats in their socks and presents under the tree. Those children will be amazed by the 'magic' of Santa Claus, and those families will have a wonderfully warm experience. But what about Edward and Alphonse? They have no parents. Who is going to make that magic happen for them?"

"Why does it have to be me?" Roy asked. "Why can't you, or one of my 'elves' take care of that? Haven't I already done my part?" It wasn't that he didn't want to do anything for the two boys... it was just... what? He didn't know. He wasn't exactly sure why he felt so reluctant. Perhaps it was because he felt as though he was being pushed into it, instead of being able to decide to do it because he _wanted_ to.

"I could, or one of the other officers, but..." she paused, then glanced at the gift on his desk. "You're the only one those boys gave a gift to..."

"Probably because I'm Ed's superior," Roy said dismissively. "What does that have to do with this?"

Hawkeye shook her head. "I doubt very much that is the reason. I don't know what the reason could be, but I don't think that's it. Though maybe that's part of the reason why it should be you. You're their commanding officer..." She paused, then added, "But I think it's more than that. I just _feel_ like it's supposed to be you."

"You 'feel' it, huh?" he asked dubiously.

"Right here..." she said, placing a hand over her heart.

"You sure it's not heartburn or gas?" Roy asked. He realized even as he said it that he was being an ass, and that this would probably work against his ambition to get a kiss from her.

Hawkeye looked at him, her face devoid of whatever emotion she was feeling. Then she turned and muttered, "Men!" under her breath as she walked back to where she'd been working before he'd interrupted her.


	16. On Santa’s Lap

-

**Father Christmas**

**16**

**On Santa's Lap**

**-  
**Maes handed the little girl a piece of candy and helped her off his lap. She turned and hugged his leg and said, "I love you, Santa!" before running off to her mother. He smiled and waved at her when she looked back at him. When she turned away, he scratched idly at his beard. He wasn't used to growing this much facial hair... But it was necessary to play the part. His facial hair didn't grow as long as the Santa in the pictures had his, but it was good enough. Gracia wasn't fond of it, but she accepted it—along with his temporary white hair—for the reasons he was doing it.

Turning to look at the line of children, Maes smiled when he saw that Alphonse Elric was next. Slightly behind him was Ed, looking a little uncomfortable, and trying to look disgruntled to cover that up.

When he waved to them, both boys walked over to him, then Al pushed Ed forward. "Do it, brother," he said.

"Come to sit on Santa's lap?" Maes asked cheerfully.

"Only 'cause Al wants to, but people would wonder if he did it so I'm going to for him," Ed said. Maes instantly nodded. To anyone who didn't know better, Alphonse looked like a large adult in a suit of armor, not a twelve-year-old boy.

"Who cares what people think," Maes said, then looked up at Al and patted his knee.

"But I'm too heavy," Al explained.

Maes smiled. "Then sit partially on the arm of the chair. It's stronger than you think." Alphonse hesitated only a moment, then sat down as directed. There was no change of facial features, but Maes had a feeling the boy was feeling deeply pleased. "Now!" Maes boomed. "Tell me what you want for Christmas!"

"A train!" he said instantly, with obvious excitement. "You know those new little electric ones?"

Maes nodded and Alphonse listed off a bunch of other items. They were mostly things that would be too cumbersome for the two boys to have to worry about with how much they traveled, and he was sure Alphonse knew that as well, but he didn't interrupt. This was Al's moment to pretend he was just a regular boy, with no concerns at the moment than what toys he wanted most.

When Al was finished, Maes gave him a wrapped piece of hardtack candy. "Save this for when you get your body back," he said. "It won't go bad."

"Thank you!" Al exclaimed as he stood up.

"Okay, let's go," Ed said, and turned to leave.

"You're not going to sit on Santa's lap too?" Al asked.

Ed looked back at Maes who grinned widely and patted his knee. "Uh... no..." He looked up at his brother, and Maes could see that something passed between them before Ed sighed heavily and trudged over to sit on Maes's lap.

"I'm only doing this 'cause Al wants me to," Ed explained.

Ignoring that, Maes asked, "And what would _you_ like for Christmas?"

"To get taller," Ed said with a deadpan look on his face.

Maes chuckled. "That will come in time. What else?"

Ed rolled his eyes and said, "This is stupid. I'm too old for this."

Deciding on a different strategy, Maes said in a lower voice, "Alright, how about this... Gracia and I are planning on getting you and Al something, so why don't you give me a few ideas of things you would like."

"I don't need anything," Ed said, looking away. "You don't have to get us anything."

"Ah, but we _want_ to," Maes said. "And besides, I didn't ask if you _needed_ anything, I asked if you _wanted_ anything. There's a difference." When Ed didn't answer right away, Maes said, "You spend so much time worrying about what you need. Let yourself want something, just once."

Ed looked down, and he picked at a thread on his coat; then, after a moment, he shook his head. "I don't know..." he said without looking up. "I can't really think of anything..."

"That's okay, you can sit here until you think of something," Maes said, then almost laughed when Ed glanced at him with a startled look on his face.

"But there are other—" Ed began.

"Then you'd better think of something," Maes said stubbornly.

Ed ran a hand through is bangs as he glanced around, then looked back at Maes. "A sled."

"A sled?" Maes echoed.

"Yeah. A sled to use in the snow. I used to have one when I was a kid."

_You still are a kid_, Maes wanted to say, but he held back. "Alright. Anything else?"

"I thought I only had to think of one thing," Ed said, now looking anxious to leave.

"Okay, one is enough, but if you think of anything else..." Maes began as he put a piece of candy into Ed's hand.

Ed took the candy and hopped off Maes's lap. "Yeah, sure," he said. "We're gonna get out of the cold. Have fun." And with a wave, the two boys were walking away from him. Maes smiled sadly, thinking how unfortunate it was that those two boys weren't able to enjoy their childhood, but instead must try to live the lives of adults when they really weren't ready.

Sighing, Maes forced a jolly smile and waved for the next child to come to him.


	17. Mail

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**17**

**Mail**

**-  
**"I'm home!" Maes called as he shut the door. He gave a contented sigh at feeling the warmth of the house. After being out in the cold and snow all day, this was heaven—along with the fact that he was hungry and the smell of something very delicious was drifting lightly on the air.

"Over here," he heard Gracia call from the living room. He glanced around and frowned when he didn't see her, but as he moved closer he could see that she was sitting on the floor and had been blocked by the couch.

A large, canvas mail bag lay empty on the floor where Gracia was sitting, and a garbage bag full of empty envelopes lay tied and ready to be taken out beside that. I very large stack of papers was on her other side. At her feet, Elysia—who seemed to have been happily playing with her toys—now looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Hello my beautiful daughter!" Maes exclaimed and started toward her. Instantly the small toddler shrieked and crawled in a panic toward Gracia. Maes stopped and his shoulders fell. "It's daddy, sweetie!" he said, feeling a little dejected. He could tell Gracia was trying not to laugh. "It's not funny..." he pouted.

"I'm sorry..." she said, not sounding apologetic at all. "I guess she still hasn't gotten used to the white hair and beard."

He rubbed at the short beard, then sat down on the floor. "Isn't it ironic that my own daughter is afraid of me like this when so many children in Central love it?"

"The price of fame," Gracia said with a laugh, then looked down at Elysia who was now daring to peak out at Maes. "Are you going to say 'hi' to daddy?"

"NO!" Elysia cried and buried her head once again.

Gracia looked at Maes and gave a small shrug. "She's getting better. At least she's not crying and screaming when she sees you anymore. I bet in another week she'll be used to it."

Maes grunted, then glanced at the letters. "You're still reading those?"

"Of course," she said, picking one up. "There are some cute letters. Children really are precious."

"Yeah, well, 'Father Christmas' is going to get coal in his sock this year," Maes said irritably. "I can't believe he had them send all the letters here." Actually, he _could_ believe it. He and Roy had known each other for years, and it was just the sort of thing Roy would do.

"Well," Gracia said, rubbing Elysia's back now. "You _are_ 'Santa'."

"Hah!" he said, then, "Anything really interesting today?"

Since he'd been getting the letters to Santa at his home, Gracia had enjoyed opening them during the day and glancing through them, then telling Maes about her favorites when he got home at the end of the day.

At his question, Gracia's face seemed to darken for a moment, then she smiled, and said, "Dinner is about done. How about we eat, and then after I put Elysia down for the night I'll tell you about some of them."

Maes's stomach chose that moment to growl and he grinned sheepishly. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

Maes wiped his hands dry on the dishtowel and glanced around the kitchen to be sure he didn't miss anything. With a nod to himself, Maes left the kitchen and sat heavily on the couch. It was Gracia's turn to put Elysia to bed tonight, which meant it had been Maes's turn to clean up after dinner. It wasn't that he minded cleaning up, but he'd much prefer putting his angel to bed.

Unfortunately, ever since he'd started doing this Santa thing, it had been his turn to clean up _every_ night. From the moment Elysia saw that his hair, eyebrows, and facial hair was no longer dark, but pure white, she'd refused to be near him—and even more so after he started growing his beard out. In the beginning she would cry and scream when she saw him, now she was more just shy and stubborn. It killed him not to be able to hold his little girl, but he _could_ see that she was getting used to it. He hoped Gracia was right about her being better in the next week.

"What are you thinking about?" Gracia asked as she walked into the room.

"Elysia," he answered truthfully.

Gracia nodded, understanding what that included, then sat down beside him and said, "When are we going to get a tree?"

"Before the party, at least," he said, then added, "You're still up to having the Christmas party here?"

"It's fine. My mother said she'd take Elysia for the night, and I don't mind playing hostess, you know that." Maes nodded, feeling grateful for the wonderful woman he'd married. Gracia pulled an envelope from her pocket and held it out to Maes. "Santa received some interesting mail today."

Curious, he took the envelope. Gracia had opened it, but unlike the other letters, she'd put it back in the envelope. Turning it over, he was surprised to see that it was from Alphonse Elric. Maes pulled out the letter and began to read.

_**Dear Santa, **_

_**I hope you, Mrs. Claus, your elves, and your reindeer are all well.**_

_**I haven't written in a few years because we didn't celebrate Christmas after our mother died. I know you don't need a letter, and that you can find people wherever they are. I also know that you know when people have been bad or good, so you probably know that brother and I have done something really bad. That's probably why you never brought us anything after mom died.**_

_**This year we're celebrating Christmas again. We can't make up everything we did in the past, but we're trying to be good now and we're looking for a way to make things right again.**_

_**I still don't think I have the right to ask for anything, but this year I want something really important. I want brother to be happy again. I know you probably can't bring his arm and leg back—though if you could that would be one of the best presents ever—but if only there was a way to make him not be so sad, it's all I want.**_

_**Maybe this is too much to ask, but even when brother pretends he's happy, I know he's not. He acts tough, but I know he's sad because he cries in his sleep. I can't sleep so I always know. **_

_**Please do something to make my brother happy again. He's all the family I have left.**_

_**Alphonse Elric**_

Maes read and re-read the letter again and again, then finally he looked at Gracia. "That's just..." He stopped when his voice caught. "That's really just sad..."

She nodded. "Yes..."

Maes glanced down at the letter in his hands. He'd heard all kinds of wishes and desires from the children who sat on his lap, and Gracia had regaled him of the cutest or funniest things children would write about, but this...

This was heartbreaking.

It was terribly tragic and Maes longed to help, but he didn't know how. He helped the Elric brothers where he could, but how could he possibly grant Al's wish?

Gracia sighed and produced a second letter. "This one also came today..." He took it and looked at the back. It was from Ed. Slowly, Maes took the paper from the envelope and quickly read through it, and then again. Tears pricked at his eyes and he had to blink rapidly to keep them from escaping.

"These boys..." he whispered mournfully. They were both so self-sacrificing... Alphonse's letter had been heart wrenching, but Edward's was simply tragic in its desire, grief, and despair.

He re-folded each of the letters and tucked them back in the envelope as he thought. If only there was something he could do... And then he saw it. With a frown, Maes stared at the address, then pulled Ed's letter out again. And there it was. It was the same...

And that gave Maes the beginnings of an idea.

With a small smile, Maes returned the letter and held up the envelope from Ed. "This one isn't mine," Maes said. When Gracia gave him a confused look, he tapped on the name. "It's not addressed to me... It's addressed to 'Father Christmas'."


	18. Christmas Party

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**18**

**Christmas Party**

**-  
**Maes stepped back toward the wall and surveyed the room with a pleased smile. There was a feeling of joviality and fun that rivaled the parties held by the military in the spring and summer. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but the feeling was there.

Maybe it was the fact that inside it was warm and cozy while the weather outside was snowy and cold. Or, perhaps, it was that feeling of giving that had seemed to crop up with the popularity of the holiday.

He caught sight of Roy putting his arm around Lieutenant Maria Ross's shoulders and whispering in her ear. Her cheeks flared a deep red and she pushed him away playfully—to which he simply laughed and took a long draw from his glass before pulling her under the mistletoe and giving her a long deep kiss.

_Or... it could be the large amount of alcohol that was being served... _Maes thought wryly. Not that he was any exception. He'd had a couple of drinks, but as host, Maes knew that it would be best if he didn't overindulge. Most likely, he would be one of the few who woke up without a nasty hangover tomorrow.

Maes noticed Alphonse Elric near the piano. He'd provided Gracia with some sheet music; and, with her help, he was trying to teach some Christmas songs to those who were interested. Breda and Falman were already pretty drunk and they both sang horribly off key.

Looking around again, Maes saw Ed being partially terrorized by a tipsy Alex Armstrong. Thirty minutes before, the large man had burst through the door, dressed as Santa Claus—much to the amusement of everyone. He'd come bearing presents—all of which turned out to be pictures of himself flexing his muscles. Now though, he was expressing his everlasting affection for this wonderful holiday of brotherly love to Ed, who looked anxious to get away.

Denny Brosh was finishing off what Hughes thought to be his forth glass and watching Maria Ross with determination. And Jean Havoc was flirting easily with Riza Hawkeye. Both were more than a little tipsy.

Maes had invited all of his personal staff to the party—Armstrong, Ross, and Brosh—along with the rest of the people in his department. He'd also invited Roy and those in his department as well. Many of those invited had brought their spouse, significant other, or a date. So, needless to say, his house was completely packed.

He smiled when he saw Kain kiss Sheska under the mistletoe. There were bets on how soon the two of them would become an official couple. He had his money on by the end of the year.

It was then that he caught the last of Ed's long red coat before the front door shut and he was gone. With a frown, Maes hurried through the mass of people and to the front door. When he opened it, he could see the boy sitting on one of the steps.

"My goodness is it _loud_ and _hot_ in there!" Maes said, closing the door and moving over to stand beside Ed. "I think I need a break." Ed glanced up at him and Maes wondered if he'd bought the excuse or not. "Mind if I sit out here with you for a while?"

Ed looked out toward the street and shrugged silently, so Maes sat. It had snowed heavily earlier in the day, covering up the old slush from previous snows, and making the world look clean and new. The moon was full and the snow reflected the light in a way that it glittered faintly. Now the snow was coming down lightly and it really completed the peaceful scene.

For a long time the two of them just sat there. Maes didn't want to push Ed into talking. If he had something to say, then Maes was sure the boy would say it. Yet, he had a feeling that Ed did like having him there, so he stayed.

Finally, Ed said, "We used to always have parties around Christmas..." Maes glanced at him, but said nothing. "We would have friends and neighbors over, and our mother always served the best food. There were always parties at other people's houses too."

Ed looked down at his feet. "My mom used to make cookies with me an' Al. And she'd read us Christmas stories, and we'd sing songs, and..." There was a long pause, then in a quieter voice, Ed said, "I even have some memories of my father during some of those times. They're really good memories, but he left and..." There was a small catch in Ed's voice and he cut off what he was saying. Again there was a long silence before Ed said, "We were all really happy at one time..."

Maes studied the boy beside him. He'd already gone through so much and yet he was still just a boy—barely a teenager. "But you're not happy now," Maes said. "Your brother is delighted with all that has happened with this holiday, but you're not."

"I've been trying," Ed said to his shoes. "I try to be happy for Al, but it's hard. It's not the same as it was before."

"Time has a funny way of doing that, Ed. It changes things and people. We have this one moment to live and be happy. If we only live in the past, or only in the future, then we miss out on so much."

Ed lifted his head and Maes could see that the boy's eyes were filled with pain. "But yesterday was much better than today," he said.

Maes gave a small smile. "The past often seems better than the now. And what is 'now' at this moment, will be tomorrow's past, and there's a possibility that we'll look back on it with the same fondness that we do for today's past. You have to make the most of it—of every moment."

"But what if I forget about today's past," Ed asked worriedly. "I don't want to forget about my mother, or..." He trailed off and looked away.

"Making happy memories now is only going to add to those memories you already cherish," Maes said, feeling like he was finally coming to part of what Ed's problem was. "People are celebrating this holiday. You have the chance to make more memories."

"I don't want anyone else to celebrate it," Ed said stubbornly.

Maes gave a sad smile and reached out to rest his hand on Ed's shoulder. "You can't undo what's been done. It's not your own private holiday. Just because others celebrate it, doesn't mean that it still can't be good."

"What do you know," Ed said angrily, shrugging Maes's hand off his shoulder. "Me and Al, we don't have any parents. We don't have a family except for each other. It's not the same anymore. But out there lots of kids have families and they'll do all that family stuff. It's not the same when you celebrate Christmas in a little dorm room without all those people you love. When you're not really able to do all of those traditions..."

Ed pounded a fist on his knee in anger. "I want Al to be happy, but there are so many things he can't do because of me. It's all my fault." Ed's voice cracked a little, and he continued in a smaller voice, "I bet he hates me. I bet he's just pretending to be happy, but inside he really blames me..."

"I doubt it," Maes said kindly.

"I wanted to bring her back..." Ed said in a small voice. "I wanted us to be happy again, but I—" Ed cut off what he was going to say and put a hand over his face.

Maes was about to say something when the door opened and Roy came staggering out. He looked down at them blearily, then shut the door and sat down between them—making it necessary for each of them to scoot over a little.

"Wha's goin' on out here?" Roy asked, his voice heavily slurred.

"We're just getting some fresh air," Maes said, feeling like he was going to kick his friend for interrupting.

Roy stared blurrily at him, then glanced at Ed, before heavily putting an arm around each of their shoulders. "You know what?" he asked, then without waiting for an answer, he said, "I love you guys. Seriously."

"This is why I came outside!" Ed exclaimed trying to wriggle out of Roy's hold. "What is it with drunk people getting all touchy-feely anyway?"

Instead of letting go, Roy leaned in and planted a kiss on Ed's cheek then did the same on Maes's. "Why can't we all just share the love?"

"I'm going to _die!_" Ed screeched, vigorously scrubbing at his cheek with his gloved hand.

"Okay, you've had _way_ too much," Maes said, reminding himself that he needed to be sure to remember this so that he could tease his friend about it when he was sober.

Ed was finally able to wriggle out of Roy's hold and stepped down to the next step. "Where'r you goin'?" Roy asked.

"Home, you idiot," Ed said irritably, still rubbing at his face.

"You shouldn' act like that right before Christmas, or else you won' get anythin' from San'a," Roy slurred, then rested his head on Maes's shoulder.

"Don't be stupid," Ed said, and Maes saw hurt sweep over his features. "There is no Santa. There's no magic man who comes and brings kids presents. It's all just a lie, just one big lie. This whole holiday is just stupid, and you're the stupidest one of all for spreading it around!" The last ended in an angry cry twisted with pain, then he turned around and stalked away.

For a few moments, Maes simply sat there with Roy leaning on his shoulder, then his friend sat up and leaned forward with his head almost between his knees.

"I feel li'e a real as'hole..." Roy said, sounding slightly less drunk.

"Well, good," Maes said. "I think it's warranted for this situation." When there was no answer, Maes stood and pulled Roy up with him. His friend swayed unsteadily and Maes had to have Roy put an arm around his shoulders and he had to put his own arm around Roy's waist to keep him from falling. "Also, if you ever kiss me again, I'll beat you to a pulp." Roy looked up and gave him a bland look, and so Maes graced him with a pleasant smile.

Roy rolled his eyes. "It's jus' all part of my plan. I figure if I kiss enough people, then when I get Riza under the mistletoe, she won' be so suspicious."

Maes smiled even broader and said sweetly, "If you kiss my wife, I'll murder you and leave your body for the vultures."

"You're a great friend," Roy said wryly.

"I know," Maes said. "And, your plan is lame. Give it up."

Just then, there were yells and catcalls from inside, and the two of them opened the door and moved into the house. There, under the mistletoe, was Jean Havoc thoroughly kissing Riza Hawkeye.

"Looks like you lost," Maes said with a laugh. He looked at Roy who was looking more than a little disgruntled. "But look at it this way, at least you were able to 'share the love', right?"

When Roy simply glared at him, Maes laughed, and felt glad that he hadn't put any money on this bet.

* * *

For this chapter, I was really going for that cliché of people doing stupid and embarrassing things at the 'work Christmas party'. It was pretty fun to write.

—

There is a music file that accompanies this chapter. The link to the folder is in my profile. The soundtrack so far is as follows:

Chapter 03 - [Decorating the Office] David Tolk - Il Est Ne le Divin Enfant  
Chapter 18 - [The Party] Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

—

Big thank-yous to everyone leaving me comments. I'm sorry I don't have the time to answer them all right now. :(


	19. Holiday Icons

**A/N: **This chapter has a song file for it. If you go to my profile there is a link to the folder with the soundtrack in it.

The soundtrack is as follows thus far:

Chapter 03 - [Decorating the Office] David Tolk - Il Est Ne le Divin Enfant  
Chapter 18 - [The Party] Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  
Chapter 19 - [Talking with Santa] Paul Cardall - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring  
**-**

**Father Christmas**

**19**

**Holiday Icons**

**-  
**Roy glanced around and saw the last of the children being herded off by their mother, then straightened his tie and walked to where one of the 'elves' was locking the gate. The young woman smiled at him and opened the gate wide to let him in. He tipped his hat and winked at her, then started toward where Maes was sitting on his chair. He looked to have been about ready to stand, but when he saw Roy, Maes settled back down.

"HO HO HO! Welcome young man!" Maes boomed out cheerfully.

Roy rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep a smile from his face. Maes was seven years older than he was, not exactly a huge difference, but ever since he'd turned thirty, Maes had enjoyed taking on the 'I'm older than you are' stance. Of course, Roy had no qualms about flaunting the fact that he was still in his twenties.

"Come! Sit on Santa's lap!" Maes continued.

"No thanks," Roy said with a chuckle.

"What? You'll kiss me, but you won't sit on my lap?" Maes pouted.

To this Roy felt his cheeks heat up a little. Never again was he going to get that drunk at a party. "Let it rest," Roy said uncomfortably. "You're the only one who even cares to remember. You don't see _Ed_ saying anything about it, and you know how he likes to get at me."

Maes chuckled. "Yes, but I think Ed is more embarrassed about it than you are. I think he's still trying to sanitize his face."

"Just let it go," Roy said again, not wanting to discuss this embarrassing subject.

"Sit on my lap," Maes repeated and patted his knee.

Roy looked at him. "Is this a bargain?"

"Sure."

Roy glanced around, and when he saw that no one was around, he sighed and sat stiffly down on Maes's lap. "Happy?" he grunted.

"Now, tell me what you want for Christmas," Maes said. Roy glared at his friend, then opened his mouth, only to be interrupted. "Remember, we're in a family friendly environment."

At that, Roy smirked and said, "Well, I guess there's nothing I can ask for."

"Pervert," Maes accused, then said, "So what's on your mind?"

Roy glanced away for a moment as he collected his thoughts, then said, "I've been thinking a lot about what happened the night of the party; you know, with Ed." Roy looked at Maes and silently dared him to make a smart ass remark. When none such remark was forthcoming, Roy continued.

"I can't get it out of my head... I can't get what he said out of my head. Even since the beginning, it's like he's been dragging his heels, and only doing this because his brother wanted to. I just don't understand."

Maes nodded, then said, "It's easy to forget Ed's still a boy, isn't it?"

Roy frowned, feeling a little confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"As a little boy, his father left them, then his mother died, _then_ he nearly lost his brother because he wasn't willing to let the past go. This holiday is a painful reminder of all the things he's lost in his life."

Roy thought about that. It made sense. Ed's behavior, while childish, was perfectly understandable in that context. And, as Maes pointed out, Ed _was_ still a child.

Maes shifted and a moment later he pulled two envelopes from his pocket. "I received two letters a while back," he said. "You know, since _someone_ had all that mail delivered to my house..."

Roy grinned. "I'm pleased to know you're enjoying your popularity."

Maes lifted the envelopes and smacked them against Roy's forehead. "Not funny. I swear, you have no respect for your elders."

"You're right," Roy said with a chuckle. "Of course, I _am_ your superior officer. By _two _ranks, no less," he added smugly.

"As I was saying," Maes said, clearly not willing to go down that road of discussion. "I received two letters, but one of them is for you."

"For me?" Roy asked, his smile fading now.

"It's addressed to 'Father Christmas'. That's not me. I'm 'Santa'."

"It's the same thing," Roy said dismissively.

Maes shook his head and handed the letter over. "No, I don't think it is."

Roy took the envelope and stared down at the back. He was surprised to see that it was from Edward Elric. Curious now, he pulled out the letter and began to read. All joviality that he'd been feeling a moment before was gone now.

Looking up, he said, "So what do you want me to do about this?"

"What do you think?" Maes asked, a little disgruntled now. "You're Father Christmas. You're the only one who can help him."

Roy looked down at the letter again and murmured, "Have you been talking with Hawkeye?"

"No. Why?"

He shook his head, then folded the letter and tucked it back in the envelope. "She seems to think that it's my responsibility to be Father Christmas to the Elric boys," Roy said, looking up.

"I can understand why she'd think that," Maes said. When Roy simply looked at him, Maes said, "Think about it. This all started because Ed and Al brought you a present, right?"

Roy eyed him suspiciously. If Maes said he hadn't talked with Hawkeye about it, then Roy believed him, but this conversation was still so similar to the one he'd had with her that he couldn't help feeling wary.

"I suppose," Roy said, not willing to commit to anything.

"How many other people did they give gifts to?"

"You've all gotten gifts from them," Roy pointed out, pleased to finally have a comeback for that line of reasoning.

Maes shook his head. "No. That was only a few days ago. The only one who got a present from them before this Christmas thing started here in Central was you. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know," Roy said. "Why?"

Maes smiled. "I don't know either."

"Okay so what's your point?" Roy asked glancing away.

"My _point_ is that I think Hawkeye is right. It should be you who does something for them, and I think that you're the only one who really _can_ do anything for them." There was a moment of silence, then Maes held out another letter. "Since I opened one of your letters, you can read through one of mine."

Roy looked down at the envelope and noticed it was from Alphonse. It didn't take long to read the boy's letter and afterward Roy simply looked down at the two envelopes in his hands.

"I'm going to invite them over to stay at my house for Christmas," Maes said suddenly. "I don't want them to be alone."

Roy looked at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. He was about to speak when there was a flash, and then, "Now _this_ is just great. Can you both look toward me?"

He looked over to the gate and saw a woman taking pictures through the bars. "It's that woman from the Central Times..." Roy growled.

"A big smile for the readers!" Lydia Hatchet called out. "This is perfect! Father Christmas and Santa Claus!"

"Just smile, Roy," Maes said, poking him in the side. Roy forced a smile, knowing that this was going to end up in the next edition of the paper. "It's the price you have to pay for being a holiday icon."

"I didn't _ask_ to be a holiday icon," Roy said.

"'Some men ask for greatness, some have it forced upon them'," Maes quoted with a laugh as the woman finished snapping her pictures.

With a grunt of disgust, Roy stood up and brushed his suit off before looking at Maes. He eyed his friend, taking in the white hair, beard, and the red and white clothes, then shook his head.

"You make a much better holiday icon than me."

"Why do you say that?" Maes asked.

Roy glanced around, eyeing the people beyond the gate as they passed. "The kids love you. You think of others... like this," he said, patting his pocket where he'd put the letters. "Like inviting the Elric brothers to your home. You naturally think of how to help others. You're everything this 'Santa Claus' is supposed to be."

He heard a noise from where Maes was sitting and turned to see his friend stand up. "You're wrong. You put on this façade, but I know you care just as much as me. If you really hadn't wanted to do something for those boys, you never would have let Hawkeye talk you into it."

Roy grunted, and looked away again, then suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You say I'm everything this 'holiday icon' is supposed to be, but I think you're wrong. Sure, I'm the jolly man the children might envision, but you... You're the real man behind the scenes." Maes walked into his line of sight and raised a hand and swept it in the air.

"Look at this city! Look at the lights and the decorations, look at the _people_... Can't you feel the difference in the streets? You've seen the numbers in your reports! People have jobs; charitable organizations are overflowing with donations... everyone in general is happier right now."

Roy shook his head. "That wasn't because of m—"

"Roy," Maes said, interrupting him. "Hawkeye may have suggested you do something for Ed and Al, and the fuhrer may have commanded you to set this holiday up in the city, but it was _you_ who did it. You made the decision to take Hawkeye's suggestion, and you've gone above and beyond what the fuhrer told you to do."

Maes smiled a small smile. "I may be 'Santa' to the children, but you... you're 'Father Christmas' to the adults—to this whole city. The man in the red suit who goes down chimneys and leaves presents under the tree is a fantasy—just as Ed says. But the man who works behind the scenes wearing a normal black suit and tie, or even the uniform of a soldier, and making the world a better place—if only for a short time—that man is real."

Roy looked away, feeling embarrassed by his friend's praise. "You're just trying to get me to do something," he muttered.

Maes laughed and slapped him on the back. "Of course I am!" He paused, then said, "But that doesn't make my words any less true."


	20. Decisions

**A/N: **This chapter as a music file. Please visit my profile for the link to the folder it is in.

The soundtrack to this story is as follows thus far:

Chapter 03 - [Decorating the Office] David Tolk - Il Est Ne le Divin Enfant  
Chapter 18 - [The Party] Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  
Chapter 19 - [Talking with Santa] Paul Cardall - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring  
chapter 20 - [Heavy Thoughts] Jon Schmidt - Christmas Medley  
**-**

**Father Christmas**

**20**

**Decisions**

**-  
**"You're not going home?"

Roy looked at his secretary and shook his head. "I have a few more things to do here. I'll lock up when I'm done."

She nodded. Roy staying late wasn't unusual. He often worked well past everyone else had gone home, though tonight Roy didn't plan on working. He just wanted a quiet place to think.

"Oh, Central City Orphanage called while you were in that meeting with the general," she said suddenly, then looked up. "They were thrilled at your proposal and said that the date you inquired about would work perfectly for them. They'll have the letters from the children ready by tomorrow."

When he nodded, she stood and began gathering her belongings. Roy watched her, taking in her weary movements and tired-looking eyes. Not for the first time, he suddenly realized that he'd never taken the time to remember her name. She was new to his section, but that really was no excuse...

"I think you need a name plate," he said suddenly. When she looked at him, he smiled and said, "What would you like it to say?"

"'Sarah Candland' will be fine," she said, seeming pleased by the suggestion.

Roy silently congratulated himself on getting her name without having to admit that he'd forgotten it, or having to go back and look at her file. "Sarah Candland it will be," he said, then walked over to her, took her hand, and pulled her forward a little until she was standing directly under the mistletoe.

Bringing her hand up to his lips, he kissed it gently and said, "Thank you for all your hard work, Sarah."

She blushed deeply. "I'm just doing my job," she said, though they both knew that most of what she'd been doing recently had definitely not been in her job description.

He stepped back. "I'll talk with Major Hughes concerning the orphanage and give you the information as soon as I have it."

Sarah nodded, then started toward the door. "Don't work too hard, sir," she said.

"I never work too hard," he replied back, then watched as she waved and walked out the door.

With a sigh, he turned and flipped off the overhead lights. The lights on the tree suddenly seemed so much brighter now and he stared at them without thinking for a moment. Then, in his mind, he saw himself, his subordinates, and the Elric brothers gathered around the tree. They were stringing lights and making ornaments. They were arguing, but truthfully most of it was good natured. He saw how excited Alphonse was and the kill joy attitude of Ed. He looked away from the tree and headed to his office. His office also was also dark except for the tree his subordinates had insisted he have in there.

And again, his mind replayed memories for him. There had been so much fuss and excitement that day, but it had been a 'warm' type of excitement...

'_You know what would be fun?'_ he heard Hawkeye's voice say in his mind.

"No," he whispered.

'_Who is going to make the magic happen for them?'_

Roy walked over to the window and looked out over the grounds of Central Headquarters. Lights were strung up on bushes and trees, and decorations were tastefully put up. It was really a sight to behold.

'_Look at this city! Look at the lights and the decorations, look at the people... Can't you feel the difference in the streets?' _Roy could hear Maes's words as clearly as if he were standing there beside him. _'You're Father Christmas. You're the only one who can help him.' _

Roy exhaled heavily, and for a moment the window fogged up, then he turned and sat in his chair. He stared at the horribly-wrapped gift Ed had given him. It was small and when Roy picked it up, he noted again that it barely weighed anything. He considered it for a few moments. Both Hawkeye and Maes seemed to think that it was significant that he was the only one who had gotten a gift in the beginning.

Was it?

Maybe it was...

It seemed strange enough to Roy that he'd get a gift from Ed. And the more he thought about it, the more he'd realized that the gift was more from Ed than it was from Al. It had been _Ed_ who had given it to him—despite the fact that he'd practically thrown it at him. If it had been from them both, then Al could have given it to him just as easily.

Setting the gift down, Roy pulled Ed's letter from his pocket and began to read it for what seemed to be the millionth time.

_**Father Christmas,**_

_**I'm only writing this letter because Al wants me to. I know you're not real, so it doesn't really matter what I put in here. No one will read it anyway. **_

_**The only thing I want is to get my brother back to normal. I'd give anything to make that happen, but I don't really have anything left. I was stupid and did something I wasn't supposed to and Al paid the price. I'd give what I have left of my body to make things right, but that would only make him sad. So I can't do that cause I want him to be happy.**_

_**Truthfully... I wish you were real. I wish you could use whatever magic you're supposed to have and make things how they used to be. I wish you could bring back my mother and make Al be normal again. But if you were real, then it wouldn't matter anyway because I've made too many mistakes and you only bring gifts to 'good' people.**_

_**But what happened wasn't Al's fault. He's not a bad person. If you could just give me a hint, just a clue, as to how I can help him, that's all I ask. It wouldn't even really be for me. It would be for him. Doesn't that count for something? If you're really as good and caring as they say, can't you do just that much?**_

_**No, you can't, because you're not real. There is no magic. You don't exist. I hate this holiday. I hate it because this 'happiness' and 'peace on earth' everyone talks about isn't real. If it existed, then how come the people who need it the most don't get it? **_

_**Who are you to decide who is 'good' and who is 'bad' anyway? How can you possibly judge me?! I've made mistakes, I was wrong, but I'm trying to make it right! It wasn't like I was **__**trying**__** to be a bad person. Do you think I **__**wanted**__** things to turn out the way they did? **_

_**If you are real, then maybe it's better that you don't bring us anything. We don't need your garbage. Material possessions are no good to us. We need information, and I doubt very much you can pull that out of your big black bag. So just leave us alone. Me and Al don't need you. We don't need anyone but each other.**_

_**Edward Elric**_

Roy sighed and looked away toward the window. Maes was right. Roy was the only one who could be Father Christmas for Ed. He was the only one who could give him what he wanted.

No.

What he _needed._

This wasn't some childish desire to get possessions. All Ed wanted was to help his brother. And Alphonse... Roy put his hand to where the younger Elric brother's letter was resting in his coat pocket. The only thing Alphonse wanted was for Ed to be happy.

It was actually rather touching.

The only thing these two boys _really_ wanted was for the other to be happy.

Roy considered this. Alphonse had written 'Santa' asking that Ed be happy. Ed had written a letter to 'Father Christmas' asking for almost the same thing—in a much less polite way. 'Santa' had ended up with both letters and had given Ed's to 'Father Christmas'—the only person who could give Ed what he wanted. If 'Father Christmas' didn't deliver, then Ed wouldn't be happy, and if Ed wasn't happy, then Alphonse wouldn't get his Christmas wish. 'Santa' had done what he could to make that happen, now it was up to 'Father Christmas'.

With a groan, Roy rubbed his eyes. This wasn't just some game anymore. Roy _could_ get solid information on the Philosopher's Stone, but it was risky... And yet... He looked down at the letter in his hand for a long time.

Weren't some things worth taking a risk for?


	21. Invitation to Serve

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**21**

**Invitation to Serve**

**-  
**Ed looked up from his book when there was a knock on the door. He looked at Al who was now looking at him. When Al shrugged, Ed stood and opened the door. His ears were instantly assaulted by Maes Hughes singing one of the songs Al had taught at the Christmas party. He opened his mouth to tell him to shut up, when one of the other soldiers who lived on this floor shouted some profanities down the hall.

"It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?" Hughes asked.

"Yeah," Ed said. "It really was."

At the same time, Al said, "No, it was great."

Hughes grinned, then said jovially, "Well, aren't you going to let me in?"

"Why?" Ed asked, eyeing him up and down. Hughes was still in the red and white outfit he wore for the kids, and he had a bag slung over one shoulder.

"Because I'm _Santa_!" Hughes replied, then grinned widely. "AND," he added, reaching into his pocket. "I have some cute pictures of Elysia sitting on my lap while dressed like an elf!" The pictures were instantly shoved in Ed's face.

"Very cute," Ed said. It was true, it was very cute, but Ed could only handle so many pictures. Stepping aside, Ed let Hughes in, then shut the door. "So what do you want?"

"Brother!" Al said, still sitting where he'd been before Hughes had knocked on the door. "Don't be so rude."

"No, no, it's fine," Hughes said. "I'm here because I wanted to ask the two of you a favor."

"Uh no," Ed said.

"Brother..." Al said in a low tone. "What did you need?" he added to Hughes.

"You still have your elf outfit?" Hughes asked Ed.

Ed scowled. "No, I burned it," he lied.

"It's under the bed," Al said, sounding amused.

"Okay," Ed said, shooting a glare at his brother. "But I _plan_ on burning it."

"I'd like to ask you to wear it one more time," Hughes said.

"Hell n—" Ed began, but Hughes cut him off by lifting his hand.

"Just hear me out," Hughes said.

At first, Ed was skeptical. He couldn't think of any good reason to subject himself to that kind of humiliation again, but as he listened, Ed changed his mind. This was definitely a reasonable request...

"That's... actually a pretty good idea you have there," Ed said when Hughes was done.

Hughes grinned. "It's actually Colonel Mustang's idea."

"Never mind," Ed grunted. "It's a lousy idea..."

* * *

With a laugh, Maes opened his black bag. "I'll be sure to let him know you approve." And then, he looked at Al. "We can't just have _one_ elf. I'd like you to be an elf too."

"ME?!" Al exclaimed in surprise. "I'm too big to be an elf."

"Don't be silly," Maes said. Technically, Al was right. It would look much better to have short elves. But this wasn't about being technical or looking good. This was about giving Al the chance to be involved in the same way that he would if his soul wasn't trapped in that armor.

With a flourish, Maes pulled a large elf outfit from the bag and tossed it onto Al's lap, then dug a hat out and tossed that over to Al as well. For a moment, Al simply stared down at the outfit. When he looked up, Maes could _feel_ the boy's happiness radiating from him.

"I'M GOING TO BE AN ELF!" Al suddenly shouted. He stood and began pulling on the outfit. "This is soooo great! I really wanted to be an elf!"

Maes looked down at Ed who was now smiling softly at his brother. "So?" Maes asked.

Ed looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll do it." Ed glanced at his brother who was now pulling on the top part of the outfit, then back at Maes. "Thanks," he said, and Maes didn't have to ask what for.

"Not at all. I think this will be a great opportunity for all of us," Hughes said with a smile.

"Yeah, I think so," Ed said, sounding genuinely pleased. Maes nodded. This was the first time Maes had seen Ed accept an idea that had to do with Christmas so easily since this whole thing had started.

"I'M AN ELF!" Al said, raising his hands in the air in excitement.

Maes laughed and held up his hands again. "One more thing," he said, chuckling. When the two boys looked at him, he said, "Gracia and I would like to invite you to stay at our house over Christmas."

He watched as the smile slowly faded from Ed's face, and there was silence in the room as the two boys just stared at him, then the looked at each other.

"Is that a problem?" Maes asked, not exactly expecting this kind of response.

They looked back at him and Ed shook his head. "No... it's not that... it's just..." He swallowed and cleared his throat. "We... we'd _really_ like to come to your house... but we don't want to be a burden. We don't want to intrude..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Maes said with a smile. "We wouldn't have offered if we didn't mean it."

"Really?" Al asked eagerly.

"Really," Maes confirmed.

The two boys looked at each other again and then Ed's lips curved up slightly into a small smile and he gave a little nod.

At that, Al turned to Maes and said, "Thank you so much!"

"Bring your stuff with you tomorrow night and we'll go directly to my house after we're finished. Then you can spend all day on the twenty-fourth at our house and that night, and then all day on the twenty-fifth if you'd like."

"Alright!" Al exclaimed. "This is the best week _ever_! First I get to be an elf, _then_ we get to go to the Hughes house for Christmas!"

Maes looked at Ed and said in a quieter tone, "You sure?"

Ed nodded instantly. He didn't speak right away, but his eyes shone slightly and he swallowed once before looking away. "Yeah, I guess I can put up with you for that long..." His voice sounded tight, and Maes could only smile. He was glad he'd made the offer. Ed might not say it outright, but this obviously meant something to him.

"Good!" Maes said, not wanting to embarrass Ed by dwelling on his emotions. "Because I have _lots_ more pictures to show you! It might even take all night to get through them all."


	22. Christmas Magic

**-**

**Father Christmas**

**22**

**Christmas Magic**

**-  
**"HO HO _HO_! WHO WANTS A PRESENT?!"

Riza smiled as the room erupted into a frenzy of delighted squeals and excited cries. The oldest of the children were more composed, but she could see the eager anticipation in their eyes as well. The youngest of the children were standing now, hands in the air, and shouting out, "ME! ME!"

Maes Hughes, or 'Santa' as the children saw him, was grinning broadly at his audience, obviously enjoying himself very much. And what an audience he had. The children of Central City Orphanage had been captivated by Hughes's charm and open nature. When he'd bounded into the room with Ed and Al—dressed as elves—trailing behind, there had been screams and shouts of excitement. Many of the children had called out to him and waved wildly, and even the oldest of them had stood up in order to see him better.

The children had been transfixed as he told them fanciful tales of reindeer and magic, of delivering toys to good girls and boys, and of his faithful elves who worked hard to make toys all year long.

At that point Hughes introduced Al as his reindeer handler. Tall elves were few and they had special jobs along with toy making that were suited to their skills, he'd explained. Of course, he'd completely sidestepped what those jobs might be.

The superintendents of the orphanage had set up two small walls. They'd had the children write letters to Santa and had made a list of children—complete with pictures of the children—and a toy that they'd like, and after that had written that on two lists and tacked them behind each wall for Santa and the elves to see.

Riza couldn't help but enjoy watching the show. Hughes was now introducing Ed as his 'head elf'. "Together, these two elves will make toys for you as you watch! Very few people have the opportunity to watch the elves at work, so be sure to watch closely!" Hughes said.

He looked down at Ed, who nodded and took some of the materials Colonel Mustang had provided for the orphanage to set up for this show and quickly created the first toy—a ball—using alchemy. When he was finished, Ed handed it to Hughes, who quickly read the child's name from the list and looked over their picture, then found that child in the audience and personally gave them their gift and called them by name. The next gift was made by Alphonse. And it went from there. The two brothers alternating in who made each toy. It seemed to delight the children that Santa knew who they were without asking and it only added to the magic of the elves making the toys.

It was obvious that it wasn't just Hughes who was having fun. Both Edward and Alphonse were in a jubilant mood. They had smiles on their faces and made a show of making each toy. And yet, for Riza, it was Ed who seemed to have the greater impact on her. Alphonse had been happy and excited for everything related to Christmas, but not Ed. And yet, here he was, grinning happily and watching proudly as his creations were given to each parentless child. Perhaps it was being able to forget himself and give back to others that was making the difference.

Riza caught movement from the corner of her eye and she saw the colonel—who was standing near to her—reach into his suit coat pocket and pull out a small envelope. He touched the head of the orphanage's shoulder to get her attention; and, without fanfare, silently handed the envelope to her. The woman took it and pulled out a check and stared at, blinked, then gaped. She turned to him and Riza could see tears shining in the woman's eyes. Riza didn't know the amount, but judging by the superintendent's reaction, it had to be a very large amount.

"I..." the woman breathed quietly. They were in the back of the room, so no one was paying any attention. "I... Thank you..."

The colonel shrugged and looked back at where Hughes was handing out gifts. "It's not from me; it's from the military."

The woman stared at him for a time, then glanced to Riza. They both knew that while the money might be from the military's coffers, it was Colonel Mustang who had procured the funds. It was he who had gone through the trouble of getting the military to donate. It was _he_ who had set up this wonderful show for the children.

There was a return smile and then the woman looked back toward the front of the room, and brushed at her eyes. Instead of turning to look back and Santa and the elves, Riza let her gaze rest on the colonel. Tonight there was a change in Ed, but this whole Christmas experience was changing Colonel Mustang as well. It wasn't a huge change, but it was there. It was as if he had taken the role of 'Father Christmas' and internalized it. Not like Hughes being 'Santa'. No, it wasn't like that at all. It was something more subtle and real.

According to the legends, 'Santa' or 'Father Christmas' wasn't seen by the children when he came to deliver their gifts. He came in the night when he wouldn't be observed. He didn't require words of thanks, but was simply happy to do his good deeds behind the scenes.

This is what the colonel was becoming.

Though he'd never put on a costume—not that people hadn't tried—he was becoming what this Father Christmas person was supposed to be.

At that moment, he glanced at her, then frowned in surprise when he saw that she was staring at him. Leaning in, the colonel asked, "Yes?"

Riza smiled and said, "I approve."

His frown deepened and she could see that he was confused, but she simply smiled back and turned to watch Maes Hughes and the Elric brothers bring the magic of Christmas to Central's largest group of orphaned children.


	23. Christmas Eve

**A/N:** There are two songs that accompany this chapter. The link to the folder they're in can be found in my profile.

The sound track thus far is as follows:

Chapter 03 - [Decorating the Office] David Tolk - Il Est Ne le Divin Enfant  
Chapter 18 - [The Party] Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  
Chapter 19 - [Talking with Santa] Paul Cardall - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring  
Chapter 20 - [Heavy Thoughts] Jon Schmidt - Christmas Medley  
Chapter 23 - [Christmas Eve] Huron Carol  
Chapter 23 - [Father Christmas] Paul Cardall - We Three Kings  
**-**

**Father Christmas**

**23**

**Christmas Eve**

**-  
**"Don't _even_ think about it..."

Maes looked up and gave Gracia a sheepish grin. "Don't know what you're talking about..." he said, then glanced back down at the rack with the newest batch of cookies.

"Those cookies are for the neighbors!" she said, pointing a dough-covered, wooden spoon at him.

He nodded instantly and said contritely, "But don't you think I should try one to be sure they're good?"

When one of her eyebrows rose, he quickly amended, "I mean, I'm sure they're _good_, but you only want to give them cookies from the best batch, right?"

Gracia smiled and said, "I think you're right. Someone really should try one to be sure they're the best ones." Maes grinned triumphantly, but it was short lived. "Ed, honey," she said, turning to where Ed was rolling some dough in his palms. "Would you like a cookie?"

Ed glanced at Maes, then smirked and looked at Gracia. "I would love one, but I don't see any reason why they need to be tasted. I'm sure they're all perfect."

Gracia smiled broadly, then turned to Maes. "You could take lessons from him," she said teasingly.

Maes laughed at that, then eyed Ed in amusement. "I think you've been spending too much time around Colonel Mustang." He laughed even more when he saw the disgusted look on Ed's face.

"Don't _even_ go there," Ed said, pointing a dough-covered finger at him.

"I'm Santa, I can go wherever I want," Maes said, then quickly snagged a cookie and bit into it.

"Oh _you_!" Gracia scolded playfully.

He looked to where Elysia was pressing a cookie cutter into some dough with the help of Alphonse. "I'm going to share it with Elysia," he said around the bite of cookie in his mouth. "You want a bite of cookie, princess?" he asked sweetly. She eyed him warily, then looked at the cookie in his hand, then back to him.

Maes felt pleased at that. She wasn't hiding when she saw him anymore, only giving him unsure looks. He'd thought that she'd be used to him by now, but after tomorrow it really wouldn't matter. Ed would be dying his hair back to its normal color and this whole 'Santa deal' would be over for another year.

Or would it...?

He frowned and unconscientiously took another bite of the cookie. Roy had talked in passing about the next year. Considering the fact that this holiday was just getting established, it was hard to believe that Maes had never had a break when there were no kids coming to see him.

Next year, he was sure there would be twice that many. Roy had mentioned hiring a few different 'Santas' and placing them in strategic locations throughout the city. Maes couldn't be everywhere. But more than that, Maes had a feeling he wasn't going to get to be Santa next year.

He'd been chosen as a quick solution, but most likely there would be a lot less military involvement next year. The tasks would be best suited to civilians. Maes already had a job. It was the same with Roy and his staff. He frowned. For some reason, the thought that he wouldn't be directly involved in the city wide planning of Christmas sort of made him a little sad.

"MY COOKIE!" Elysia demanded. She was loud enough to pull Maes from his thoughts. He looked at her and saw that her hand was outstretched. "MINE!" she demanded again. Maes smiled and handed over what was left of the cookie.

"You'll spoil her dinner," Gracia said warningly.

"It's mostly gone," he said in self-defense.

"Is it good?" he heard Al ask and turned to see his daughter nod happily. Maes thought he heard a note of longing in the boy's tone, and perhaps Ed had heard it too because when Maes looked down at him, Ed was no longer smiling, but staring intently at the new piece of dough he was rolling in his hands.

"Are you going to have one brother?" Al asked, looking to Ed.

"Maybe later," Ed said, a deep frown on his face. There was a moment of silence, then Al nodded and started cutting out shapes with the cookie cutter.

He glanced at Gracia and noticed that she seemed to have noticed the change in mood as well. Not willing to let that kind of thing go on when they were supposed to be having fun, Maes walked over to Alphonse and slapped a hand on his back.

"Let's sing some of those songs you taught us!" he exclaimed.

"Okay!" Al replied enthusiastically.

They immediately broke out into song, to which Elysia 'sang along' by belting out "La la la la la". Ed went to put his hands over his ears, then stopped when he realized he had too much dough on his hands.

"My ears!" he complained, but they simply continued on, singing songs about reindeer, Santa, snowmen, and a variety of other things.

* * *

Ed stared at the tree while listing to Gracia read. The story was similar to one that his mother had read to him and Al when they were little, but it wasn't exactly the same. Still, it wasn't so bad...

He gave a contented sigh and rested a hand on his stomach. Dinner had been amazing and he'd definitely had his fill. They'd all helped to wash the dishes, then they had taken cookies to the neighbors. Then they'd dropped off more cookies to Hughes's coworkers before both Gracia and Hughes insisted that they also bring cookies to _his_ coworkers.

Breda had been thrilled, and hadn't even waited for them to leave before starting in on them. Both Falman and Fuery had been pleasantly surprised, and Havoc had made jokes at Ed's expense while praising Gracia on her amazing cooking and generosity. He'd then proceeded to gloat to Hughes about kissing Lieutenant Hawkeye before Mustang. Ed had asked Hawkeye about it a few days after the party, and she'd given him some sort of excuse about having too much to drink before finding something to do and hurrying away.

Neither Hawkeye nor Mustang was home, so they left a plate of cookies on each of their doorsteps before heading back home. It had started to snow and they were all looking forward to getting out of the cold.

When they'd returned, hot chocolate had been served along with the left over cookies. They'd played several games by the light of the tree and then Gracia had suggested reading a few stories before sending them all to bed.

"And from then on, all the other reindeer accepted Rudolph and he always had a job at the head of Santa's sleigh. The end," Gracia said.

There was a long moment of silence, and he finally turned his head to look away from the tree. Gracia was sitting on the couch with the old book in her lap. Al was sitting on the floor, but close to her, with his back against the couch. Hughes was sitting on the other side of her with Elysia sleeping in his lap.

"Okay, boys," Gracia said quietly, looking down at Al, and then to where Ed was laying on the floor. "I think it's time for bed now."

"Can we sit in front of the tree just a little longer?" Al asked in almost a whisper so he didn't wake Elysia.

She looked at Hughes who smiled and gave a small nod. "I'm going to put Elysia in her bed. We'll give you a little more time while we take care of a few things, but after that... well, we can't have you out here when Santa comes."

Ed snorted and looked away, then grinned when he felt Al's foot prodding at him. He heard Gracia and Hughes get up and leave the room and moments later Al was sitting beside him.

"Today was really great, wasn't it, brother?" Al asked happily.

Ed stared fixedly at the tree for a time, then said, "Yeah... it was." He couldn't deny it. The whole day had been awesome. Even though he knew that Maes and Gracia Hughes weren't his parents, it almost felt as if they were. It was strange because he felt both happy and sad at the same time.

"Brother...?" Al said cautiously.

"Hm?"

"Would you... would you sing some of mother's favorite Christmas songs to me?"

Ed sat up and stared at Al for a long time. He was almost on the verge of telling Al to sing them himself, but he knew what had brought this on. In their family, it had been a tradition that their mother would sing some of her favorite carols to them while they laid near the tree. Usually they ended up falling asleep there, though sometime after that she must have put them in their beds because they always woke up in their own room.

"Eh... well..." he stammered.

"Please?" Al begged, then laid down as if to show that he was ready.

Ed sighed heavily, then nodded.

* * *

Gracia was putting the last of the cookies from the racks to containers when she heard soft singing coming from the living room. Quietly, she padded to the living room and peeked out. Alphonse was lying down and Ed was sitting beside him. Since Ed had always refused to sing, she hadn't heard his voice up until this moment.

Edward's voice wasn't horrible, he could carry a tune, but he'd definitely never be picked to sing a solo for an audience. And yet, the song he was singing was undoubtedly very beautiful. It was nothing like the upbeat Christmas songs Alphonse had taught them. There was no mention of Santa, reindeer, or snowmen. Instead the haunting melody was accompanied by words of a child's birth, angels, and shepherds.

When he was finished, he immediately started another song that was just as beautiful. After a moment, Al joined him, and she had to blink to keep the sudden tears at bay. Unlike his brother, Alphonse did have a rather nice voice. It was higher than Ed's and it seemed to lift and carry his brother's voice, making it a very lovely duet.

They sang of love, of family, of peace on earth, and good will to all, and Gracia finally had to wipe at her eyes. She wondered how many people in Central really understood the true meaning of this holiday. There had been a push for people to decorate, to have parties, to buy gifts for others and for their children in place of a mythical figure; and yet, she had gotten so much more from this holiday than that.

Christmas was about love and about being together... She was suddenly so happy they'd invited those two boys to be with them through this holiday. A strong desire to hug both of them filled her, but before she could move, she felt a touch on her arm. Looking over, she saw Maes standing beside her with a small smile on his face.

Gracia stepped close and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," she said, suddenly feeling a rush of affection for this man. "Don't ever leave me..."

"Never," he whispered back and held her tightly.

It was then that she suddenly realized only Alphonse was singing. Stepping back, she looked into the living room and saw that Ed was now laying down, with his head on one of Al's legs.

"Looks like one of our elves fell asleep," Maes said softly, then moved into the room. He said something to Alphonse that she couldn't hear. Al nodded, then picked up Ed as he stood and headed to the back bedroom that had been designated as theirs while they stayed here.

* * *

Roy glanced up when he heard the door open and was surprised to see Lieutenant Hawkeye.

"Lieutenant," he said. "I thought you'd already left."

"I had a few things to finish," she said as she moved toward his desk. "The fuhrer gave us a day off, but that didn't change when I had to have my work in." Hawkeye looked at Roy who nodded in understanding. It had been the same with him and he'd had to scramble to get everything done in time.

Setting aside the documents he'd been working on, Roy stood up and stretched. Glancing at the clock, he said, "It's getting pretty late." Hawkeye nodded. He looked at her, then frowned. It seemed as if she was weighing him some how, but he couldn't think of why.

"I came to let you know that I had Havoc deliver those gifts to Hughes for the Elric brothers. He was going to tell you himself, but..." She trailed off and Roy nodded immediately, understanding that she had taken upon herself to do it instead. Ever since the party at the Hughes home, Havoc had done nothing but gloat—much to Roy's irritation and Hawkeye's embarrassment.

"Good," he said. They had all pitched in for a few gifts for the boys, and Hughes had agreed to put them under the tree. And with that, the Elric brothers were taken care of. All except for...

"So is that it?" Hawkeye asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Roy asked, though he had a feeling he already knew.

She gave him a knowing look and raised an eyebrow. "You don't have anything else special planned for those boys?"

Roy's eyes moved unconscientiously to a locked drawer in his desk. One last gift that he'd have to deliver tonight... He looked back at her and shook his head.

"You mean I have to do _more_?" he asked, making his tone sound put out. "What more do I have to do?"

Hawkeye stared at him and he wondered if he'd been able to fool her or not. He didn't want her making a big deal out of any of this. It was just something he was doing because... well... because he wanted to.

Finally she walked around his desk to where he was standing, looked at him for a moment more, then moved up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. He blinked and stared at her in shock. She looked up and he followed her gaze. He immediately saw the mistletoe he'd hung above his desk. When he looked back down, she had already stepped away and was looking at him with a small smile.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." And with that, she reached out and squeezed his arm before turning and starting for the door.

"Tell anyone?" Roy asked stupidly. He still felt a little dazed at what had happened. She had kissed _him_ under the mistletoe... It hadn't been one of passion or desire, but something innocent and chaste. The kiss had been one of affection insomuch as friends feel affection for one another.

She put her hand on the doorknob and looked back at him with a small smile. "That you're really a much kinder person than you let on."

He opened his mouth, shut it, considered her for a moment, then put a hand to his cheek. "You're not going to shoot off my balls are you..." he asked, changing the subject. Hawkeye's eyes widened in surprise, then she grinned widely and shook her head before turning off the light so that the lights on the tree light the room in a soft glow.

"Merry Christmas, Roy Mustang," she murmured.

Roy dropped his hand and said quietly, "Merry Christmas, Riza Hawkeye."

With that, she slipped out of the room, and Roy sighed heavily before sinking back into his chair. He looked at the clock and shook his head. It was getting close to midnight now. Maes was probably wondering where he was...

Reaching down, Roy unlocked the drawer, and pulled out a package. It wasn't very thick but it was long, and he wondered if it looked like anything other than what it was—a box with papers in it. He'd been able to procure these documents yesterday, and he'd immediately taken them home and wrapped them. Sadly, the package didn't look extremely pretty given that he'd never had to wrap a present before—most stores offered to do it for free when you bought something there.

Shrugging, Roy set it on the desk, stood, and pulled on his coat. He could have left it with Maes, or even sent it with Havoc, but he hadn't wanted to take the chance. Anyone caught with this classified information would most likely be punished severely. In truth, he felt extremely nervous giving it over to Maes for it to sit under his tree unattended, but that couldn't be helped. But the probability of anyone raiding the Hughes's home tonight was practically zero anyway...

He grabbed the package, and was about to leave when he remembered the gift that Ed had given him. Picking it up, Roy considered it for a moment. If it hadn't exploded or anything else already, then he _supposed _it was safe to take home with him. So he slipped it into one of the deep pockets of his heavy overcoat and headed out of his office.

When he left the building, Roy held the package under his arm, not trying to look like he was holding anything other than a harmless gift. As he walked, Roy enjoyed the brightly lit square around Central Headquarters. Only Central Square was as brightly lit or as lavishly decorated.

His breath was coming out in little puffs, evidence to the chill in the air. The snow was coming down lightly and there was already a thin layer of new snow covering the ground. He noted that if it kept up like this, tomorrow as going to be a very beautiful day. He smiled and supposed that might be fitting.

It took him almost fifteen minutes to get to Maes's home on foot. He could see the lights of the tree through the living room window and the porch light was on. Roy was almost to the door when it opened and Maes stepped outside, closing the door softly behind him.

"The boys are in the back room, but Alphonse is still awake of course, so I thought I'd come out here just to be sure he doesn't accidently hear anything," Maes said, then smirked.

"What?" Roy asked with a frown.

Reaching up, Maes brushed at Roy's hair. "Much better. There's only room for one white-haired icon in this holiday."

Roy reached up and brushed the rest of the snow out of his hair, then said, "I see your house is still here. I take it that nothing has blown up or burnt down?"

Maes chuckled. "No, actually we've had a really fun time, believe it or not."

"I don't," Roy grunted, though really he did. Considering how happy Ed had seemed helping out at the orphanage, he was pretty sure the kid hadn't caused Maes any problems. Roy supposed that was something Ed reserved especially for him.

"Uh huh," Maes said knowingly, then glanced at the package under Roy's arm. "Is that it?"

Roy pulled it out and looked down at it for a moment, then up at his friend. Maes knew it was information of some sort, but he didn't know what these files contained. It only showed how deeply Roy trusted him that he was willing to hand the box over with full confidence, knowing that Maes wouldn't open it before Ed got to it to see what it contained.

"Doesn't feel all that heavy," Maes said, hefting the box.

"It's heavier than you think," Roy said, not meaning the actual weight, but what information it contained.

Maes nodded, understanding immediately, then glanced at him. "I've really enjoyed this holiday."

Roy gave him a small smile. "It definitely has been a change."

"Do you regret it?"

Roy felt a little surprised by the question, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's been a lot of work, especially for you."

For a moment, Roy said nothing, seriously considering Hughes's question. It was true it had been a lot of work, and he'd had his share of embarrassments, but... He thought about all that had been accomplished, thought about that night just a few days ago when they'd been at the orphanage... So much _good_ had been accomplished in just this short time...

Then he thought about both Ed and Al's letters, thought about the fact that he'd practically risked his career to answer those boys' requests. Children should have something to believe in...

He shook his head. "Not at all." Maes smiled and nodded as if he hadn't expected anything less.

They both stood there for a moment, then Maes said, "It's late."

"Yeah it is..." Roy said with a sigh, knowing that tomorrow marked the climax of this holiday season, and after that everything would go back to normal.

"You'd better go home and get to bed. Santa doesn't come until you're asleep," Maes said with a chuckle.

Roy smirked. "I don't think I have to worry about that. Santa only visits _good_ girls and boys." At that, Maes laughed appreciatively. "Merry Christmas," Roy said, lifting a hand.

"Merry Christmas, Father Christmas," Maes said smartly.

Roy shook his head and started home. At least he wouldn't have to worry about being called _that_ anymore, he thought, then frowned as a question came to his mind. What was so bad about being called 'Father Christmas'?

Besides the fact that it wasn't actually his name, Roy couldn't think of any reason not to accept the name. After all, the surname 'Christmas' meant plenty to him in other ways... and it was a good one. He mused on that as he walked home and was only brought out of his deep thoughts when he saw something on his porch.

Hurrying his step, Roy saw that it was a plate of cookies. Picking it up, Roy read the tag that said, in Gracia's neat handwriting:

To: Roy Mustang  
From: The Hughes family and the Elric brothers

He unlocked the door and, when he was inside, Roy turned on the light and examined the cookies more closely. There were several different types, though the ones that caught his attention were the flat frosted ones. Simple arrays had been piped on them in red and green—obviously the work of Alphonse and Edward.

With a small smile, Roy set them on the coffee table, then turned to plug in the lights on his very small Christmas tree—if it could be called a tree at all. He hadn't planned on having one, but one day he'd just come home and there it was on his doorstep, already decorated and strung with lights with a note that read:

To: Father Christmas  
From: The Elves

Roy turned off the light so that only the tree lights were on now and pulled Ed's gift from his coat pocket. He set it down next to three other gifts. One was from Maes and Gracia, one was a joint gift from Havoc, Breda, Falman, and Fuery, and the last was from Hawkeye. Apparently she hadn't wanted to pitch in for whatever his male subordinates had gotten him. That could either mean it was going to be something that wasn't 'family friendly' or it was a gag gift.

With a heavy sigh, Roy sat on the couch and stared tiredly at the tree and the gifts beneath it. If someone would have told him a month ago that he would be sitting in his front room in the middle of the night, staring at a tree with lights on it after having pilfered classified information to give to Ed, he wouldn't have believed it.

But a lot can happen in a month...

Roy swallowed, feeling a sudden and unexpected rush of emotion. He was actually _sad_ that this all was coming to an end. He was pretty sure that there were supposed to be feelings of 'happiness' on this night, but whatever positive emotions he felt were overwhelmed by a melancholy sadness.

He hadn't realized just how much this holiday had inched its way into his life, and into his heart, until this moment. So much work had gone into bringing this holiday into Central and Roy wasn't sure at what point he'd really lost himself in it.

Yawning, Roy laid down on the couch. He knew that actually going to bed would be better, but he just wanted to be in front of the tree for now. His lips quirked up into a smile as he supposed Alphonse was right in a way. There really was 'magic' here. Not magic in the sense of sorcery, but something you couldn't see or touch, but something you could feel.

He blinked tiredly. Maybe this magic, the magic of Christmas, was something you could only feel if you let yourself. And perhaps the magic of Christmas wasn't in giving things to people, but of giving of yourself to others...

Roy's heavy eyelids finally closed and in his mind he saw the two Elric boys using their alchemy to create toys and making the magic literally come alive for the children who lived in the orphanage. It had really been an amazing... truly amazing.

And that was the last thought he had before slipping into sleep.

* * *

Tomorrow is the last chapter! I can't believe it! The month has gone by so fast. This is the longest chapter in the story at nine pages. O.o Tomorrow's chapter is about six pages, so a bit longer than the rest, but I hope you enjoy them.

I hope you all have a pleasent Christmas Eve. :)


	24. Father Christmas

**A/N:** There is a song file for this chapter. There is also a song for the 'End Credits' even though there are no end credits haha. You can find the link to the folder for these songs in my profile.

The sound track is as follows:

Chapter 03 - [Decorating the Office] David Tolk - Il Est Ne le Divin Enfant  
Chapter 18 - [The Party] Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  
Chapter 19 - [Talking with Santa] Paul Cardall - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring  
Chapter 20 - [Heavy Thoughts] Jon Schmidt - Christmas Medley  
Chapter 23 - [Christmas Eve] Huron Carol  
Chapter 23 - [Father Christmas] Paul Cardall - We Three Kings  
Chapter 24 - [Christmas Morning] Jim Brickman - December Morning  
Ending Credits - Shadow Mauntain Artists - Peace In Every Heart  
**-**

**Father Christmas**

**24**

**Father Christmas**

**-  
**"Do it, Brother."

"No way. You're the one who wants to start. You do it."

Maes forced his eyes open. He was so tired... Turning over, he looked toward the doorway where the two Elric boys were talking to each other. He was sure that they'd started the argument by being quiet, but now their whispers were almost at regular tones. He glanced at the clock and groaned. It was way too early for this...

"Did we wake you?" Alphonse asked when he noticed Maes was awake. He was polite, but Maes noticed he didn't sound too sorry.

"What are you doing up this early?" he asked, then yawned.

"You get up every day about this time, don't you?" Ed asked.

Maes scowled. "Only because I have to work..." It was criminal that he should have to get up early on a day off. Maes felt a touch on his shoulder, and looked behind him to where Gracia was lying beside him and staring at him with a smile.

"Should I make breakfast?" she asked. Maes sighed. Obviously he wasn't going to get to sleep in any later.

"Yeah..." He was about to say more when a delighted squeal sounded from the other room. Then, a moment later Elysia came scampering into the room.

"PRESEN'S!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Maes smiled at her excitement, wishing he'd had his camera so that he could have captured that look. And then it hit him. He'd be able to take all kinds of pictures as she opened her gifts. With that he got out of bed and picked up his daughter and gave her a big kiss on the cheek before she squirmed out of his hold.

He glanced up in time to see Ed giving them both a small smile. "Do you want a hug and a kiss too?" Maes asked with a laugh.

To that, Ed blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "No thanks. I think I've had enough kisses for my life," he ground out. Gracia picked up Elysia and started out of the bedroom, but before she moved past the two brothers she gave them both a big hug.

"Merry Christmas, boys," she said.

"Merry Christmas," they both said, and Maes could see that even though Ed was trying to maintain his tough exterior, that he was pleased by the attention. "Why don't you both come help me with breakfast? After that we'll open presents."

* * *

Roy opened his eyes and stared blankly ahead as his body and mind both made the adjustment from being asleep. He saw the small tree and the four presents beneath the tree directly in his line of sight and he stared at them for a moment before it registered that it was morning.

Christmas morning.

He shivered a little and realized that he'd fallen asleep on the couch without a blanket. Groaning, he got up and stumbled into his bedroom where he pulled off his uniform and slipped on a pair of sweats and a sweater. After that he wandered to the kitchen—turning the heater up on the way—where he started a small pot of coffee and fixed himself some toast.

Bringing the coffee and toast into the living room, Roy settled down in front of his small tree to open his gifts. He felt rather curious. He'd never received a gift from any of these people before, and he wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

The gift Breda, Fuery, Falman, and Havoc had pitched in for turned out to be a girly magazine with a note saying it was the first of a year's subscription. Maes and Gracia had given him a very nice shirt—most likely Gracia had made it herself—and Hawkeye had surprised him with an alchemy book. There was a small card inside that mentioned it had belonged to her father.

That left only Ed's gift.

Picking it up, Roy slowly unwrapped it. Opening the box, he pulled out the contents and stared at them for a moment, wondering why Ed had given him such a gift. It was only after he started inspecting his gift that he realized he'd been given something much more than what it had seemed at first.

* * *

Ed watched curiously as a large box was placed before Al. They had already gone through their socks. There had been candy and treats for Ed and Elysia, and for Al there had been various travel sized metal polishing items. There had also been a new box of chalk in Al's sock.

Each of them had one large gift and a few smaller gifts. The smaller gifts for Elysia had mostly consisted of various toys and dolls. Hughes and Gracia had gotten clothes for each other. Gracia had received a new pan set that she seemed to have wanted and some jewelry. Hughes had received something from Mustang's crew—minus Hawkeye—that had made Gracia scowl, though neither would say what it was. Al had become the proud owner of a homemade loin cloth and Ed hadn't been able to miss the opportunity to mention that there were no flowers or hearts on it. They had both received luggage as a joint gift from Mustang and his crew.

And so now there were only the three large gifts left that were from 'Santa'.

Elysia had gotten a new tricycle and had happily ridden around the room while Hughes had taken pictures. When the excitement calmed down, they had come back and now it was Al's turn—given that they were going in order of birth.

Excitedly, but carefully, Al took the wrapping off the box, then opened it. He stared inside for a long moment, then exclaimed, "WOW!"

"What is it..." Ed asked, getting up and looking inside. He stared for a moment, not believing his eyes, then watched as Al took out the pieces of the train set. It was obviously an expensive set and Ed couldn't help but immediately wonder what they would do with it. They couldn't very well carry it around with them as they traveled... But he didn't have the heart to say anything either. Al was obviously out of his mind with delight.

So Ed pushed his realistic worries away and helped his brother and Hughes put the set together while Elysia and Gracia watched. And, admittedly, he had fun. It was almost unavoidable. When they finished, they all watched the train go on its tracks, though Hughes's attention was diverted by taking pictures of Elysia while she squealed with excitement.

"We thought you could leave it here while you traveled, and whenever you're in Central you can come play with it," Hughes said to Al, then looked at Ed and smiled as if knowing that would be on his mind.

"Great!" Al said, and for a moment Ed imagined his brother, small with brown hair and eyes, giving a huge smile. At that moment, Ed promised himself again that he wouldn't let his brother down. One day he would see that smile again...

"And now for you, Edward," Gracia said moving a large, wide gift toward him. He stared at it, wondering what it could possibly be, then a thought hit him and he felt his face heat in embarrassment.

"Open it, brother!" Al said in excitement.

Without any of the care Al had shown, Ed ripped open the package, and opened the box. There, packaged snuggly in foam, was a brand new sled.

"Neat!" Al exclaimed, then pointed to the front of the sled. "There's even a place where we could tie a rope to it. I could pull you when we're traveling in the winter!" With how much they traveled and how hard they were on their belongings, Ed wondered if it would last out this winter.

Ed glanced at Hughes and Gracia, feeling slightly embarrassed that they'd actually gotten him something this nice. Hughes winked at him and said, "Good thing you told Santa what you wanted."

"Pull it out, brother," Al instructed. So, Ed pulled it out and they all examined it, and it was decided that they'd all go sledding later today.

And, with that, the gift opening session was over. Gracia stood and squeezed Hughes's shoulder before helping Elysia pick up her toys and take them to her room. Ed was about to wander over to look more at Al's train when Hughes spoke.

"Oh, it looks like we missed something. Al, will you grab that package in the back?"

Ed turned in time to see his brother pulling a gift from behind the tree. Al looked at it for a moment, then glanced at Ed. "It's for you."

"Me?" he asked curiously. Taking the package, Ed looked at it. It said:

To: Edward Elric  
From: Father Christmas

Ed shrugged and pulled off the wrapping, then opened the box where he found a bunch of folders and papers inside... There was a note on top that said, 'Anything is possible.' Frowning, and feeling a little confused, he began to examine the papers. Then suddenly his eyes widened and he simply stared in dumbfounded silence.

"What is it?" Al asked.

With a shake of his head, Ed read the note again, then he thought of the letter he'd mailed out to Father Christmas. No one was supposed to have read that. It wasn't possible... Looking up, Ed stared at Hughes, but the man simply shook his head.

"It's not from me."

He opened his mouth to say, 'But you're Santa,' then he stopped and realized that the name on the package didn't read 'From Santa'. It read 'From Father Christmas'. There was only one man in Central who could claim that name.

"Brother?" Al asked.

Stuffing the papers back in the box, Ed pressed it against his chest for a moment as he tried to sort through the jumble of thoughts racing through his mind, then he shook his head before turning and heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Al asked, sounding confused now.

"I'll be back!" he said, then rushed out the door.

* * *

Roy stepped outside and shut the door behind him before looking around. The sky was clear and the snow on the ground was fresh and new. It sparkled in the sun, and he couldn't help but smile.

It was a beautiful morning.

With a deep breath of the crisp air, Roy exhaled and his breath was misty for a moment, then he stuffed his gloved hands in his pockets and started down the sidewalk. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going to go, but for some reason he didn't want to be stuck inside today. He wanted to be out, wanted to enjoy this Christmas day in all its glory. After all, this was _the day_—the day that they'd been all been waiting for.

The world was quiet around him and he could clearly hear the show crunching under his boots. In an hour or two, children would be out and people would be driving around, but right now it was just him.

Roy stopped and glanced at the park across the street. It wasn't uncommon for the benches to be filled this early in the morning with the homeless vagrants that wandered in and out of Central, but not this morning. Money had poured into charities for the homeless over the month and, at least for now, there were enough funds to provide a warm place to sleep for any vagrant who needed or wanted one.

Deciding that a walk in the park would be a great addition to this stroll, Roy crossed the street and was just starting onto one of the walkways when he heard his name being called. Turning he saw Ed running down the sidewalk toward him.

His eyes rested on what Ed was carrying and he wondered if Maes had said something or if Ed had just figured it out. Well, it really wasn't as if it would be that hard for someone of Ed's intelligence to figure out.

"Colonel!" Ed said again, now that he was closer. He was gulping in breaths and Roy wondered if he'd run all the way here from Maes's house. Ed tightened his grip on the rather thin box of papers and said, "It was you, wasn't it?"

Roy pressed his lips together then shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, playing dumb.

Ed shook his head impatiently. "You're the only one who could have gotten these documents for me."

Roy lifted an eyebrow. "And what documents are those?" he asked. Roy had been in the military for enough time that he'd learned one very important rule. Deny everything—at least everything that could possibly have negative repercussions on you later.

Ed stared at him and Roy could see a confusion and uncertainty begin to cloud Ed's eyes. He could almost read the thoughts going on inside that brain of Ed's. There were sure to be questions like: Was I right? I'm almost certain that I'm right, but what if I'm wrong? What if I'm wrong and I tell him what these are and he takes them away? Is it worth the chance?

"Well... uh... I..." Ed stammered, unsure now.

"I was just about to take a walk," Roy said. "Why don't you come with me?"

Ed stared at him for a moment as if trying to decide if he really wanted to, then he hugged the box of documents to his chest and nodded.

They walked for a time, before Ed said, "Did you open..." He trailed off and muttered, "Never mind."

Roy smiled, knowing what Ed was about to ask, and amused that he seemed to care at all. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, Roy held them up for Ed to see. "I did," he affirmed. "Thank you."

He'd been a little mystified this morning when he'd opened the box from Ed and found two padded winter gloves. It wasn't until he'd looked them over a little to find that they were each actually two gloves in one. The outer glove was waterproof, but there was a strap that held it onto the inner glove. It was easy to un-strap and pull the outer gloves off if need be. The inner gloves were also padded, but not quite as heavily. These were made out of ignition cloth like his other gloves. No flame alchemy symbol had been drawn on them, but it hadn't been difficult to know that was what Ed had intended for them.

Pulling off one of the outer gloves, Roy showed Ed the inner one. He'd spent time preparing the gloves this morning and each one now had the appropriate array on them. When Ed saw that he instantly grinned.

"I came up with that idea! Do you like it?" Ed sounded excited and rightly proud of himself.

"Yes, actually," Roy said. "Ignition cloth is very expensive... I was really surprised." Not only that, but the gift had been incredibly thoughtful, and may even save his life someday.

Ed glanced away, looking suddenly a little embarrassed. "It was no big deal."

Roy pulled on the outer glove, then put his hands back into his pockets. "No big deal?" he asked, deciding to fish for some information. "It was a very thoughtful gift, and I didn't see you handing out gifts to everyone when you gave me mine."

Still looking away, Ed shrugged. "Yeah, no big deal. I mean. You gave me the chance to take the state alchemy exam, so I kinda owed you anyway. If it weren't for you then..." He trailed off and then shrugged.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Ed looked back at him. "So... you really didn't give me this?" He nodded down at the box in his arms.

Roy looked down at him and for a moment he said nothing, then he said, "No. I didn't." He paused, then said, "And you don't have those documents in your possession either." Ed's eyes widened just a fraction as he digested the warning and the fact that Roy had just affirmed his suspicions in a around about way.

"But... _why?_ I don't understand..."

The question hung in the air for a moment. They both knew he wasn't asking why he shouldn't let anyone know what he had; he was asking why Roy had gone through such lengths to give him the documents.

Finally Roy stopped walking and glanced around the empty park, then sighed heavily. "You know... you're right about there being no real 'Santa Claus'." He stopped and glanced down at Ed, who seemed a little surprised at the direction this conversation had taken. "But perhaps there is a... I don't know... a 'spirit' of Santa Claus or Father Christmas."

"I didn't know you believed in spirits," Ed said smartly, and Roy shook his head, hoping that his own dry wit wasn't rubbing off on the kid.

"What I _mean_," Roy said with a smirk. "Is that perhaps what this holiday is _really_ about is giving and doing good, and that eventually became embodied into this Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, whatever you choose to call him. Maybe we're all that person in some way or another." In fact, this was one of the lines of thought Roy had taken the night before. Ed seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded. Roy shook his head. "Perhaps it's a shadow of how we should all be all the time."

Ed studied him for a long time, then he held the box more tightly to his chest and looked down at his feet. Roy watched him, wondering what the kid was thinking. He hoped that Ed wasn't considering asking for a clearer answer. Roy had no real desire to explain himself or to have his reasons psychoanalyzed.

Finally, Ed quietly said, "I..." His voice sounded tight and strained, and Roy wondered what he'd see if Ed were to look up at him. "I didn't believe... I... I don't know how I can ever possibly..." A pause, then, "Thank you..."

Roy stepped forward and put a hand on Ed's shoulder. "Some things are worth believing in." Ed's head snapped up. His eyes—slightly red—were wide with surprise. Roy smiled a little. "Right?"

Ed seemed to think about that for a moment, then a small smile touched his face. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah... you're right."

Roy squeezed Ed's shoulder then let his hand fall. "So!" he said, feeling that the moment was getting a little too heavy for his liking. "Don't you think you should be with your brother today instead of hanging around me?"

"I just wanted..." Ed began, then he shook his head, before saying, "I just wanted to be sure you figured out what to do with those gloves. I probably should have left you instructions or something, but I guess you didn't need them."

Roy laughed lightly. "Praise coming from you?"

"Don't be too flattered," Ed said, blinking quickly now as if something had been in his eye and he was trying to get rid of it. "I'm just feeling generous 'cause today is Christmas."

"Right, well, I think you'd better take your generous self back to the Hughes house. If I'm right, you didn't bother telling them where you were going?" Roy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ed gave him a sheepish look and Roy knew that he was right. Roy smiled, then said, "Merry Christmas, Ed."

The corners of Ed's lips lifted into a smile of his own. "Merry Christmas to you too, Colonel."

And with that, Ed turned and started away. Roy watched him go, and at that moment, he knew that he'd done the right thing. With a deep breath, Roy glanced around the snowy park, wondering where he was going to go next.

Then he smiled. Today was Christmas. He was still 'Father Christmas' for the rest of the day. He might as well make the most of it. And with that, he turned and headed out of the park.

**-The End-**

Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story and the consecutive posting. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to answer all the comments you've left me, but know that I've appreciated each and every one. With packing and buying a house, plus Christmas things, I was lucky to have time to even post on some days.

Have a merry Christmas and a safe and fun new year!

- Z


End file.
